The Bayelsa State Police Command on Friday disclosed that 49 prohibited and illegal arms and ammunition were recovered following mop up exercise from raids on suspected armed robbers and cultists in the state in the last four weeks.
The recovery followed diligent intelligence gathering and security operation by the Task Force on Fire Arms recovery headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr. Andy Amienghene.
The prohibited arms include 2 AK47 rifles, 4 pump action rifles, one LAR rifle, one Berretta pistol, one Miami revolver pistol, 29 locally made pistols, 2 locally made cut to size double barrel guns, 1 locally made double barrel pistol, 5 locally made revolver pistols, 2 locally made cut to size guns, 1 locally made wooden gun, 58 unexpended cartridges and .9mm ammunition.
Presenting the recovered arms and ammunition before newsmen at the state command headquarters, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Don Awunah, warned that the command would henceforth clamp down and prosecute persons in possession of illegal arms.
His words, “Henceforth the command will clamp down and prosecute persons for unlawful possession of the afore mentioned firearms and all that fall short of law will be prosecuted,” he warned”.
He said the task force of the command embarked on systematic crack down on violent criminals throughout the state which led to the recovery of the arms.
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“In the crime index of the country, Bayelsa state remains the lowest adding that from available reports nobody has voluntarily returned arms to the command”, he said.
Awunah noted that the arms displayed were recovered from criminals following IGs directive adding that the only fire arms that are legalized are used for hunting not for attack on any human being.
Speaking on the recent renouncement of cultism in the state by over 500 suspected cultists, the CP expressed happiness that the Bayelsa State government through the House of Assembly amended the anti -cultism law which gave the police certain powers in collaboration with the magistrate to make sure people who are involved in cultism, secret society and those who harbour them are brought to book.
He insisted that the amended law has given the police more impetus saying, “We have anti-cultism unit domiciled in the state CIS strictly for anti-cultism.
They (Police) are also doing a lot of advocacy for them to tell the youths especially those misguided that they gain nothing from crime.”
Commending the State Security outfit “Bayelsa Volunteers” for helping about 500 youths to renounced cultism, Awunah said the State Police Command and the Volunteer office need to engage in partnership and collaborate so that those ones who have renounced cultism
would help the police to encourage others to renounce.
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