The inspector-general of police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has unveiled an intelligence-led nationwide offensive against the proliferation of illegal firearms, declaring that the Nigeria Police Force will intensify efforts to recover illicit weapons ahead of future elections.
Speaking on Thursday while receiving the director-general of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), retired deputy inspector-general of police Johnson Kokumo, and his management team at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Disu said the force would deepen collaboration with relevant agencies to disrupt the flow of illegal arms into the country.
The IGP described intelligence as the most potent weapon in combating arms trafficking, stressing that seamless information sharing among security agencies is critical to intercepting illegal firearms before they get into the hands of criminal groups.
As part of the renewed strategy, IGP Disu proposed a joint nationwide public awareness campaign with the NCCSALW to encourage individuals in possession of illegal firearms to voluntarily surrender them.
He warned that illicit weapons continue to find their way into Nigeria through porous borders, waterways and illegal local manufacturing networks, posing serious threats to national security and the country’s electoral process.
The IGP further called for stricter armoury management across security institutions, regular audits of government weapons and stronger accountability mechanisms to prevent the diversion of official firearms into criminal hands.
Earlier, the director-general of the NCCSALW, DIG Kokumo (rtd), called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, development partners and local communities, noting that the fight against the proliferation of small arms requires a coordinated national response.
Kokumo identified theft, stealing and the diversion of firearms as some of the leading causes of illegal arms proliferation in the country.
He appealed for greater police support in the recovery and destruction of illicit weapons already in circulation.
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The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has mourned a police officer, Sgt. John Abena, who died during a joint security operation to rescue schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State Disu also commended the operatives involved for their bravery and success. Speaking
