Army orders illegal fire arms owners to surrender or face arrest

Defence Headquarters, under ‘Operation Safe Haven’, has called on farmers and herders in Southern Kaduna holding illegal guns to surrender weapons or face arrest.

Addressing a peace meeting, Maj. Gen. Augustine Agundu, Operation Safe Haven Commander, said such people should immediately surrender those arms to nearest security post in the area.

Gen.Agundu, who earlier visited the Chief of Kagoro and Emir of Jama’a palaces, called for tolerance among residents, warning trouble makers to leave Southern Kaduna or face the full wrath of the law.

“We urge farmers and herders carrying illegal fire arms to surrender it to the nearest security post to avoid arrest. As farmer, you don’t need to kill another person who destroys farmland because we cannot buy life.

“We must stop stealing cows. I also advise the herdsmen to stop using children to rear cows and night rearing. Let us isolate the bad ones (criminals), they cut across all the tribes. We must be tolerance of each other and grow understanding.

“Our work is difficult if you don’t cooperate because we are all Nigerians, if we want to do it the way we suppose to do our work, innocent people will be affected in your communities.

“What we want is identify the bad ones living in your communities and report to the security for prompt action for peace. If we fought civil war in this country and we said no winner and no loser. No problem without solution, we must hold our communities together to live in peace,” he said.

In their separate remarks, Chief of Kagoro, Mr Ufuwai Bonat and Emir of Jama’a, Mohammad Isah Mohammad, commended the security forces in their efforts to bring permanent peace in the southern part of the state and called for cooperation among residents to give peace a chance.

The State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, who represented Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said the state government will continue to partner with the Defence Headquarters and other security agencies for peace in the state.