Police recover 49 guns from cultists in Bayelsa

Bayelsa state Police Command has paraded 49 guns recovered from suspected cultists and other criminals across the state.

Briefing newsmen, the state Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah, said the arms and ammunition were recovered following the directive of the Inspector General of Police to mop-up prohibited firearms and ammunition in possession of unauthorized persons across the country.

“After a diligent and systematic causative analysis of the national crime patterns throughout the country, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris discovered that the unlawful possession of small arms and light weapons, standard or locally made, fuel and drive violent crimes.

“The IGP directed immediate mop up and recovery of prohibited firearms, ammunition and weapons in possession of all suspected militias, bandits, vigilante groups, neighborhood watch or other groups or individuals in the country”, the CP said.

He said the state Command, therefore, set up a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Andy Amiegheme to mop-up and recover illegal arms across the state.

The task force, according to the CP, immediately embarked on systematic crackdown on violent criminals across the state which led to the recovery of 49 assorted guns as well as live ammunition.

Awunah revealed that most of the weapons were recovered from suspected cultists, who had been terrorising the state for the past one month.

The recovered arms include two AK-47 rifles, four pump action rifles, one LAR rifle, one Barretta pistol, one miama revolver pistol, 29 locally made pistols, two locally made cut to size double barrel guns, one locally made double barrel pistol, five locally made revolver pistols, two locally made cut to size guns, one wooden gun, 58 unexpended cartridges and 9mm ammunition.

The CP used the medium to call on those still in possession of illegal arms and ammunition as specified under chapter F. 28 LFN 2004 Firearms Act to surrender them to the Command within one week.

He said though Bayelsa was one of the safest in terms of national crime index, cultism was still a serious case in the state.

No suspect was paraded alongside the recovered arms, our correspondent learnt that a paper bearing the type of gun or ammunition, name of suspect and nature of crime was attached to each firearm.

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