Army Chief Orders Residents To Surrender Illegal Arms Or Be Shot In Plateau

Army Chief of Staff, Major General Taoreed Tagbaja, has directed people in the Mangu local government area to hand over their illegal weapons to the military formations in the state.

He warned that those who failed to do so risked being shot dead.

General Lagbaja, issued the directive at a meeting with major stakeholders, including ethnic and other groups in Mangu, after launching a new military operation to end killing in the area.

More than 300 people had been killed, and over 80,000 displaced in conflicts in the area since last April.

The army chief warned there would be no compensation for those who failed to hand over their arms if they were shot for not doing so.

He expressed concern over the cases of youths carrying illegal small and light arms in the area and other parts of the state.

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He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari “for his unwavering commitment and support to the Nigerian Army and other sister security agencies in the country”.

“We must be loyal and professional to justify the trust the president reposed in us all and the generous support from him to tackle all forms of criminality headlong with the dedication they deserve,” he said.

“I must commend the personnel of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the south-east for their sacrifice and gallantry disposition to ensure peace and progress in the region, notwithstanding obvious challenges.

“We are also grateful to the state governors, council chairmen and other leaders in the country for their support and encouragement.”

He appealed to residents to volunteer useful information on the activities of criminal elements in their neighbourhoods in order for the exercises to be successful.

He also urged the military and other security agencies to work as a team for the success of the operations.