The Nigeria Police Force has refuted widespread reports claiming that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, issued a “shoot-on-sight” directive for anyone found carrying illegal firearms during a recent high-level security engagement in Makurdi, Benue State.
A clarification released on Saturday through Force Public Relations Officer CSP Ani Iniedu maintained that the media misconstrued the police chief’s remarks during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue State Government House.
Iniedu pointed out that a video recording of the event posted on Facebook confirmed that no such blanket order was ever delivered by the police boss.
”The Nigeria Police Force has noticed a misleading report claiming that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, ordered police officers to ‘shoot anyone with illegal firearms.’ This claim is false and does not reflect what the Inspector-General said,” Iniedu stated in the official response.
He explained that Disu’s comments were taken completely out of context, noting that the address was actually centered on reminding officers that only legally authorized security personnel are permitted by law to carry firearms in public spaces.
The spokesman emphasized that the Inspector-General explicitly reminded officers that the use of force remains strictly governed by Force Order 237, which defines the legal parameters for firearm deployment during official duties.
“He stressed that officers must always act within the law and follow the approved rules for the use of force. At no time did he instruct officers to shoot anyone simply because they were found with an illegal firearm,” Iniedu added.
The correction comes after the Friday stakeholders’ meeting in Benue State, which brought together key government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders, and local security figures to address escalating criminal violence, armed robbery, cultism, banditry, and kidnapping in the region.
Disu used the platform to warn that security agencies would no longer tolerate the unchecked proliferation of illicit weapons. He said, “You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated.”
Addressing the room of leaders, Disu expressed intense frustration over the continual casualty rate among security personnel who face heavily armed criminal groups in the line of duty.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow,” he stated.
He explained that officers are thoroughly trained on how and when to deploy their weapons under existing operational guidelines without needing to wait for immediate superior orders when facing direct threats.
“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,” Disu noted, while urging local citizens to support law enforcement by providing timely, credible intelligence to help track down criminal elements.
The crackdown on illicit arms forms part of a much broader strategy by the Nigeria Police Force to systematically curb armed violence and retrieve illegal weapons across the nation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Earlier this month in Abuja, during a conference with officials from the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Disu reaffirmed the force’s commitment to recovering illegal weapons, encouraging voluntary surrender schemes, and strengthening intelligence-sharing mechanisms. This initiative builds on a comprehensive nationwide audit of arms and ammunition across all police formations ordered by Disu in May to stop weapon diversion, alongside strict warnings to the rank and file against the misuse of power.
Speaking to officers in Uyo, Disu reiterated that illegal violence by law enforcement will carry severe consequences.
“Impunity ends now. Any officer who misuses his weapon, who kills a citizen without lawful justification, will be dismissed and prosecuted. Not transferred. Not queried. Not redeployed. No badge is a license to kill. No uniform is a shield from justice.”