By Isaac Kertyo
Bauchi State Police Command has handed over no fewer than 25 AK-47 rifles seized in the state to the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The state Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda, who handed over the seized weapons to NCCSALW Director of Operations, Chris Owolabi, on Tuesday at the Command’s Headquarters, said the arms were seized between June 2021 and February 2022 across the state.
He said other arms seized include one locally made Sub-Machine Gun, one SMG, one locally made fabricated AK-47, 29 Rusted/unserviceable locally made P/cartridges, 27 Rusted/unserviceable locally-made revolver, one English Barretta and one Magazine, two P/Barretta and one locally made dane gun.
He added that the recovered mopped-up ammunition are: 874 7.6mm, 5,022 5.56mm, 113 9X19mm, 274 62.7mm, 177 38mm and eighty-seven blank.
Sanda said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria is determined to stop the senseless bloodletting and insecurity occasioned by Small Arms and Light Weapons in circulation within our communities by mopping up all illicit weapons; as well as control the proliferation of all weapons in the holdings of all arms-bearing agencies/organizations in the country.
“It is in this vein that President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR, approved the establishment of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in March 2021 to institutionalize SALW control at all levels of the polity; and to mainstream illicit SALW eradication efforts.
“I, therefore, urge all members of the public to support the Government in its efforts to eradicate illicit SALW in circulation and by extension, promote an illicit arms-free society.”
The CP said that a robust synergy and partnership with sister security agencies, local security outfits, and other non-governmental organizations was cultivated in order to nip crimes of various degrees in the bud and flush criminals out of the state.
Responding to questions, Owolabi said that the federal government will intensify efforts towards mopping up more weapons and ammunition across the country.
He said, “It is not only in Bauchi state Command alone. Just three weeks ago, we made some recoveries in Owerri, Imo State in collaboration with the National Security and Civil Defence Corps. We do this with security agencies across the nation to recover these firearms.
“We do know that we have local blacksmiths producing these (arms) all over our communities and investigations are ongoing to identify these local blacksmiths across the country.
“We’re working with the Police, the DSS and other security agencies and we’re making progress. We’ll know where they’re making production and where they are taking them to.”
