Military Taskforce in Plateau,Operation Safe Haven, (OPSH) has recovered 130 illegal weapons from bandits and criminal elements within the State and other areas of it’s joint operation
Maj. Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the Commander of OPSH, disclosed this when he handed over the recovered weapons to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) on Monday in Jos.
Maj. Gen Abubakar, who reaffirmed the commitment of OPSH towards tackling insecurity in the State, said both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches were used in the recovery of the weapons.
The weapons comprise; 29 dane guns, 53 fabricated revolver rifles, 14 AK-47 rifles, one English pistol, 21 locally fabricated pistols, one G3 rifle and eight locally fabricated AK-47 rifles.
Others are, nine Harris burg pistols, two locally fabricated SMG, 28 AK-47 and three locally fabricated magazines, one RPG7 tube, four RPG7 rockets with chargers, 1,522 rounds of ammunitions, and 500 rounds of 9mm ammunitions, among others.
He said, “Our troops have remained resolute in checkmating all forms of crime and violence; troops have equally maintained an offensive posture, conducting several kinetic operations, leading to huge recovery of illegal weapons.
“On the whole, the operational success recorded by troops of OPSH led to the recovery of 130 small arms and light weapons from criminal elements.
Abubakar, while commending the residents of the state for their support and cooperation in achieving the feat, promised that the troops “will sustain the tempo in order to decisively curtail the activities of criminal elements in area of operation.
“We will remain professional, decisive and responsive in the discharge of our constitutional mandate,” he said
Maj. Gen. Hamza Bature, the North-Central Coordinator, while receiving the weapons, commended OPSH for their efforts in tackling insecurity in the State.
He said that it was the second time that OPSH had handed over recovered illegal weapons to the center, and that he appreciated their commitment to keeping the state safe.
“Every illegal weapon recovered means that many lives have been saved,” he said, and called on the public to support the military and other security agencies by sharing information and intelligence to help end insecurity in the country.