Are Police Propagating Propaganda In Displaying Allegedly Surrendered Arms ?
The Oasis Reporters
April 13, 2018
By Moses Gbande
Plateau State Police Command on Friday, displayed what could best be described as propaganda of the highest order, probably designed to please the powers that be.
This, according to our correspondent’s observation has been demonstrated in the collation of arms said to have been mopped up from warring natives within Bokkos local government and Irigwe community of Bassa local government of Plateau State.
Though, the quantity of arms displayed is significant enough to be seen as one of the major breakthroughs recorded by the command in its effort at combating crimes and criminality in the state, the condition of the weapons gives discerning minds a few thoughts to ponder upon as regards to the authenticity of the cache and the impression attached therein.
In a critical observation of the weapons read out by the Commissioner of Police at the police headquarters in Jos during a press conference, most of the guns showed evidence of rust, broken into pieces and there was no one to confirm if they actually possessed such items.
The questions, some of the said communities mentioned asked our reporter are that; “who would surrender his arms at the time herdsmen are killing us unabated?
It is mere figment of police imagination. We are even looking for arms to defend ourselves with, talkless of surrendering arms”, sources exclaimed.
But for the Police Commissioner, Undie Adie the over 172 number of arms and 795 ammunition and 133 cartridges were recovered in the response to recent violent clashes in the state.
He said, in the discharge of security duties and in compliance with the Inspector General of Police , Idris Ibrahim’s directives to the State Commands Commissioners of Police to mop-up illegal and prohibited firearms, the command promptly swung into action which produced the aforesaid result.
“We recovered 40 automatic rifles, 132 locally made guns, 716 of 7.62 mm ammunition, 79 number of .9mm of ammunition and 114 number of cartridges’.
The commissioner maintained that the command has not only remained dogged in responding to security demands but that it is increasing synergy with other security agencies in confidence building among the people by strengthening community policing in the state.
He said the command has also arrested Car theft syndicates and recovered over eleven suspected stolen cars from them.
Explaining further, the police public relations officer, PPRO, Terna Tyopev said the arms were voluntarily returned to the police by the rightful owners, “that’s why we are not parading any culprit in that regard, but as you heard the commissioner say, at the expiration of the deadline given by the IGP, anybody caught with arms would be made to face the full wrath of the law”
