By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
Gunmen have killed five policemen in Niger state within two days interval, the state Commissioner of Police, Zuiberu Muazu, has said.
Muazu stated this yesterday in Minna at a press conference, addressed on his behalf by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Niger state police command, DSP Bala Elkana.
He said two police men were gunned down in Minna on Saturday while three others were killed on Sunday at Dikko area of Gurara local government of the state.
He said the Command had instituted an aggressive patrol team named “Operation Mop Up Illegal Firearms” aimed at mopping up all illegal arms from individuals without licenses and criminal elements in the state.
The commissioner said the operation had begun and warned all persons with illegal firearms to surrender them to the police within 14 days, adding that anybody caught with firearms, after the expiration of the ultimatum, would face prosecution.
He said the Command had pushed out all 50 per cent of its office personnel to join in the street to street patrol while Special Forces had been deployed to areas identified as hot spots.
He said the prohibition on the use of motorcycle from 6pm to 6am in cities remained in force, adding that “all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) have been briefed and placed on red alert to ensure that criminals are eliminated from their areas.”
He called on law-abiding citizens to give the police all necessary support to rid the state of criminal elements, adding that efforts were on to track down those who killed the policemen and that they would not go unpunished.