The Police in Taraba state has achieved a breakthrough with the recovery, across the State, of over 50 assorted arms and ammunition made up of: five AK 47 Rifles, 1 G3 Rifles, 2 k2 Rifles, 3 LAR Rifles, 2 Pump Action Rifles, 2 Double Barrel Rifles, B13 Single Barrel rifles, 28 locally made Pistols and 300 rounds of ammunition.

In a press briefing held at the Taraba State Police Command, the Taraba state Commissioner of Police, David Akinremi, stated that the achievement made was as a result of the directive of the IGP that all prohibited arms be mopped up from the hands of unauthorized persons or group of persons. According to him, “In compliance to this directive, 21 days ultimatum effective from 22nd February 2018, was given for voluntary submission of such firearms”.

The Police boss further stated that a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Operations) DCP Faleye S. Olaleye, was constituted with a mandate to embark on recovery and retrieval of all prohibited firearms and those illegally acquired.

However, the weapons were said to be recovered through: surveillance, tip-off, storming of criminal hideouts and intelligence gathering in four local government areas of Karim Lamido, Bali, Ardo Kola and Lau.

Also, quite a number of individuals were said to have responded to the call to surrender their weapons while “some criminally minded persons with the intention to perpetrate crime have not heeded to the call”. According to Akinremi, the Police “has embarked on continuous raids, cordon, and search of premises, buildings, and locations where it is reasonably suspected or believed that such arms are kept”.

He also assured that operations would be a “continuous and routine exercise until the Command completely mop-up all illegally acquired firearms from the hands of individuals”. The Police, therefore, urged the general public to continue to give maximum cooperation and report criminal activities to it for effective performance and good service delivery.