Reactions have trailed the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordering police officers across the country to shoot on sight anyone found carrying illegal firearms as part of renewed efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.
The directive was given on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
According to the IG, the order followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that the persistent insecurity in Benue State must be brought to an end.
He stressed that only authorised security personnel are legally permitted to bear firearms, warning that the era of passive policing was over.
“You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he said.
Disu disclosed that police officers had been empowered under Force Order 237 to respond decisively to armed threats without waiting for directives from superior officers.
The IG said, “We have given them instructions. We have a Force Order 237. Police officers have been instructed that they don’t need to wait for any superior order. They know where to deploy their firearms.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow.
“They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”
He called on residents to support security agencies with credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to the fight against armed criminality.
Benue State has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups in recent months, resulting in the loss of lives, the displacement of residents and the destruction of property.
The Federal Government has continued to deploy additional security personnel and adopt tougher measures aimed at restoring peace in the state.
But reacting, a Facebook user, De Rising Sun, wrote, “Sir, you need to spell is out well because lots of people own theirs legally, and they have documents that can prove it, so when you say shoot on sight, how then can you tell who owns it legally and illegally?”.
Another user, Ola Smith, said, “This is an extrajudicial execution style, and this IG can face international criminal arrest. Only the president has the authority to make sure order only during a state of emergency.”
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