The Nigeria Police Force, NPF, has handed over of 3,980 arms of different calibres to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
Oyo News reports that the handing over was supervised by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba in Abuja.
The handed over arms comprise 265 automatic rifles; 146 pump action guns; 1,909 locally fabricated pistols; 1,500 locally made single barrel guns; 98 locally made double barrel guns; 46 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs); 16 locally made rocket launchers; 2 locally made Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns; and 7 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs). Similarly, 2,358 assorted calibres of ammunition and 1,057 assorted cartridges were equally handed over to the NCCSALW.
The Police boss stressed that the exercise is part of the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force, as a lead agency in internal security management, to curb the threat of the proliferation of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) trafficking within the country.
The Police Chief similarly stated that the Nigeria Police Force under his leadership has been evaluating and re-evaluating its operational strategies while strengthening institutional capacity in relation to the generation of actionable intelligence and the conduct of special operations directed at proactively checkmating the menace of arms proliferation.
The IG has however directed Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police including Heads of Tactical Units of the Force to aggressively sustain the mop-up exercise in order to actualize the mandate of the Federal Government on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The Inspector-General re-affirmed the commitment of force, saying that it will continue to partner with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) as both institutions strive to achieve the mandate of the Federal Government on the control of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.