Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed police officers across the country to take decisive action against individuals found carrying illegal firearms, authorising officers to engage armed suspects in line with existing operational guidelines.
Disu issued the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as part of ongoing efforts to address insecurity.
He said only authorised security personnel were permitted to bear arms and warned that unlawful possession of firearms would no longer be tolerated.
The IGP said, “You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated.
“We have given them instructions. We have a force order 237. Police officers have been instructed that they don’t need to wait for any superior order. They know where to deploy their firearms.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow.
“They have been instructed to shoot on sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”
Disu also stated that President Bola Tinubu had directed security agencies to ensure that insecurity in Benue State was brought under control.
He added that the success of security operations would depend on the support and cooperation of residents and other stakeholders.
