Nagogo Usman gives TET 7-day ultimatum to mop up illegal arms

&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Nagogo Usman &comma; Zamfara State Commissioner of Police’s renewed commitment to guarantee protection of lives and property across the state&comma; was&comma; on Thursday&comma; August 13&comma; taken to the next level through an unmistakable instructions to Divisional Police Officers&comma; DPOs and Area Commanders to roll up their sleeves and mop up all illegal arms and ammunition in the system&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">This is contained in a press statement signed and issued by Superintendent Mohammed shehu&comma; the Command’s public relations officer&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to the statement<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng">&comma; Usman Nagogo<&sol;a>&comma; has set up a Police Joint Task Enforcement Team headed by the Deputy <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng">Commissioner of Police<&sol;a> in charge of Operations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The team has a mandate&nbsp&semi; to commence the mop-up of all illegal and prohibited firearms and ammunitions from unauthorized persons&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Nagogo therefore&comma; instructed that those in possession of such firearms are given seven&nbsp&semi; days from today&comma; 13th&nbsp&semi; August&comma; 2020 to surrender them to the Task Force team or any nearest Police Station they are domiciled&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The statement added that the operation&comma; which among other purposes&comma; is aimed at&nbsp&semi; full enforcement of the Firearms Act&comma; mopping-up and recovery of all prohibited firearms and illegally acquired weapons&comma; will enable the Command deal decisively with the prevailing security challenges ranging from banditry&comma;&nbsp&semi; kidnappings&comma; armed robbery&comma; cattle rustling and other crimes in the state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Nagogo<&sol;strong> stressed further that the operation will equally include cordon&comma; search&comma; raid&comma; seizure from any premises&comma; hideouts&comma; dwelling houses or buildings or sites of completed or under construction facilities &nbsp&semi;or any other location where these illegal-prohibited firearms are kept or on reasonable suspicion are believed to be kept&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He however specified that security agencies recognized and gazetted by the federal government of Nigeria are to bear firearms of specified category&period; Therefore&comma; members of the public&comma; individuals and groups such as vigilantes&comma;  town unions&comma; hunters and watch night men or any group or association under any capacity other than statutory are advised to comply within the specified grace period&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Area Commanders and DPOs&nbsp&semi; are under strict instruction by the Commissioner of Police to carry out and enforce this Act in totality in their respective areas of responsibility&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">They were also directed to convey a security stakeholders meeting immediately to sensitize and educate the members of the general public on this development&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Nagogo<&sol;strong> disclosed that this line of action became necessary as a result of the proliferation of firearms among many groups&comma; including vigilante&comma; militia and all other groups&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Said he&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It is important to remind the general public that &&num;8220&semi;Part II &lpar;3&rpar; of the schedule of the Firearms Act L&period;N32&nbsp&semi; of 1959 &nbsp&semi;Prohibited the possession of firearms mentioned in Part 1 of Firearms Act except in accordance with a license granted by Mr&period; President&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;