The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Ebonyi state command, has successfully mopped up over 120 prohibited and illegal firearms including caches of ammunitions and cartridges from some individuals in the state.
The breakthrough was in compliance with the Inspector-General of Police’s Mr. Ibrahim Idris directive to mop up illegal firearms and ammunition in the hand of unauthorized individuals across the nation.
Displaying the firearms at the state police headquarters in Abakaliki yesterday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Titus Lamorde said the recovery were made possible through the cooperation of good citizens of the state and the command CID unit.
CP Lamorde added that 62 muscle-load firearms were recovered from a blacksmith tent in Ezzamgbo in Ohankwu local government area of the state.
"These muscle-load firearms were recovered from a blacksmith tent in Ezzamgbo, including some of the locally made short guns and we set the place ablaze.
"However, the command is still trailing the manufacturer because he escaped as soon as he sighted the police.
"Others weapons like the 18 rifles, 6 G3 rifles, 21 Pump Action rifles, 6 English-made double barrel guns and quantities of live ammunition and cartridges of different calibres were among the items recovered", he said.
He called on the general public to continue to cooperate with the command by giving useful information on persons or groups still in possession of prohibited firearms in the state.