Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed the Benue State Police Command to commence a 14-day operation targeting illegal arms and criminal hideouts as part of efforts to curb insecurity in the state.
The operation is aimed at removing illicit weapons from circulation, dismantling criminal networks and strengthening security across Benue, with those found in possession of unauthorised firearms facing prosecution.
Disu gave the directive during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi on Friday, where he disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had ordered security agencies to end the persistent insecurity in the state.
The Inspector-General also instructed police officers to take decisive action against armed criminals, stressing that only duly authorised security personnel are permitted to carry firearms.
He added that officers should enforce the law in line with Force Order 237 whenever they encounter violent offenders.
“The operation will focus on illegal arms and criminal hideouts. Those unlawfully bearing weapons will face the full weight of the law,” Disu said.
He assured residents that security agencies would sustain coordinated operations until peace and public safety were fully restored across the state.
Speaking on the operational strategy, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Mobile Policing, Francis Iduh, said security agencies had identified 14 high-risk locations for the special operation.
According to him, the exercise will involve intensive surveillance, clearance patrols and intelligence-led raids aimed at flushing out armed herders, bandits and other criminal elements while protecting law-abiding residents.
“Our focus is on criminals, not innocent citizens. This operation will be intelligence-driven, community-focused and professionally executed,” Iduh said.
He appealed to residents to support security personnel with credible information that could lead to the arrest of suspects, noting that community cooperation would be critical to the success of the operation.
Iduh identified Gbajimgba, Arufu, Agasha, Kwande, Agatu, Naka, Otukpo, Makurdi, Apa and other vulnerable communities as key operational areas, adding that forests, farmlands and other suspected criminal hideouts would remain under sustained security surveillance throughout the 14-day exercise.