By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Aderemi Adeoye, on Monday disclosed that weapons are freely sold in the Onitsha Main Market.

Disclosing this to journalists in Awka during a press briefing held at the Police Command Headquarters, Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of the state, the CP said he was talking from a long experience of service in the state, which commenced in the 1990s.

He said the situation had worsened recently.

Adeoye described the Onitsha Main market as one of the channels for the proliferation of weapons in the state, saying: “Awka blacksmiths manufacture local guns, thereby contributing in the proliferation of illegal arms.

“The command would go after such arm manufacturers and bring them to book.”

According the to the Anambra Police boss, illegal arms were also being brought into the South-East from Cameroon via Port Harcourt.

He explained that the dealers would package such weapons with stockfish and bring them at a place near Aba, Abia State, for ready buyers.

While noting that the Command had recovered 26 firearms and arrested thirty insurgents within a period of three months, the CP restated the grace period of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for people with illegal firearms to return them to the police.

He stressed that within the grace period, nobody would be punish or prosecuted for returning such arms.

“After this grace period we shall begin search and recovery of such firearms the way that has not happened in this part of the world and culprits prosecuted appropriately", the CP added.

He reeled out the highlights of the command’s achievements in the past three months thus;

NO OF INSURGENTS ARRESTED – 30

NO OF ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECTS ARRESTED – 39

NO OF CULTISTS ARRESTED – 38

NO OF KIDNAPPERS ARRESTED – 22

NO OF KINAP VICTIMS RESCUED – 6

NO OF FIREARM RECOVERED – 26

NO OF AMMUNITION RECOVERED – 93

NO OF MOTOR VEHICLES RECOVERED – 25

NO OF TRICYCLES RECOVERED – 14

NO OF MOTORCYCLE RECOVERED – 7

NO OF ARMORED CABLES RECOVERED – One roll

NO OF IRON GRILL FROM 2nd NIGER BRIDGE RECOVERED – 16.

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