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Arms Proliferation: Plateau Govt. Considers Amnesty

The government of Plateau state in North-west Nigeria is considering the option of granting amnesty to those in possession of firearms in the state and … Continue reading Arms Proliferation: Plateau Govt. Considers Amnesty


Plateau Governor Simon Lalong Re-Elected For A Second Term
A file photo of Plateau Governor, Simon Lalong.

Plateau, amnesty, Arms ProliferationThe government of Plateau state in North-west Nigeria is considering the option of granting amnesty to those in possession of firearms in the state and exchanging the arms for cash.

This is following the recovery of arms and ammunition by security agencies.

Governor Simon Lalong gave this indication after inspecting the recovered arms at the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos, the state capital.

The level of increase of firearms in circulation across Plateau state has been a major concern to security agents as locally manufactured and sophisticated weapons have been recovered following various operations carried out by the special task force.

Such firearms on display were fabricated pistols, launchers, Dane guns, single barrel riffles, general purpose machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, sub-machine guns including G3, FN and AK-47 riffles as well as locally fabricated firearms among others.

Commending the security agencies for the mopping up exercise, Governor Simon Lalong appealed to youths in possession of firearms to come out and lay down those arms with government, giving the assurance that it would address their plight.

He stressed that those ready to lay down their arms would be compensated while the jobless will be gainfully engaged.

The government also promised that amnesty would be granted to those that willingly surrender such firearms in exchange for cash.

Considering the level of dexterity by manufacturers of the locally fabricated firearms, the commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major-General Rogers Nicholas, also asked government to consider rehabilitating the artisans involved in the manufacturing and engage them meaningfully.