Desmond Mgboh (Kano); Tunde Omolehin (Sokoto); Geoffrey Anyanwu (Awka)

The Sokoto State Police Command has mopped up no fewer than 948 illegal firearms from criminals and individuals across the state.

The breakthrough, according to the state police commissioner, Mr. Murtala Mani, was in response to the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to clear illegal firearms and ammunition in the hands of unauthorised individuals across the nation.

Displaying the weapons at the command headquarters, Mani noted that 1,200 rounds of ammunitions, cartridges and army camouflage uniforms were also recovered in the exercise. He listed the weapons either surrendered or recovered to include AK-47 rifles, double and single-barrel and locally-fabricated guns, among others.

The CP said some of the guns were retrieved through the amnesty programme, while others were seized during gun duels between bandits and operatives of State Anti-Robbery Squad in the state.

Similarly, the Anambra State Police Command, yesterday, said it has so far recovered 107 prohibited firearms in the state. The 107 firearms were made up of 59 pump-action guns, 46 locally-made pistols, one Browning pistol and one AK-47 rifle.

Displaying the arms, the state commissioner of police, Mr. Garba Umar, said the recovery was in line with the directive of the IGP. Umar said that some of the firearms were voluntarily surrendered by their owners while others were recovered during the ongoing mop-up operation, including the AK-47 seized from robbers.

Also, the Kano State Police Command has announced the recovery of 37 rifles and 23 pistols from criminals in the state in line with the directive of the IGP. The state’s commissioner of police, Alhaji Yusuf Rabiu, who disclosed this to the press, listed the recovered weapons to include four pump-action guns, 27 AK-47 rifles, two LAR rifles, four single-barrel rifles, 23 pistols, one G3 rifle, Magnum (US-made), 319 6mm ammunition, 86 3mm ammunition, 127 cartridges (11) and 17 magazines.

Speaking at the Bompai headquarters of the command, the police boss explained that the recoveries were made from criminals such as robbers, kidnappers and cattle rustlers.

He added, however, that some were surrendered voluntarily.