JTF begins house-to-house search for arms in Maiduguri

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State says it has commenced house-to-house search for arms in the state.
Lt.Col. Hassan Mohammed, the JTF spokesman, said that the exercise would be backed by an air surveillance to track down people with questionable character.
He said that the arms recovery programme was the second phase of the JTF’s plan to make the state safer for people to go about their normal businesses.
The JTF had given people in possession of firearms October 31 deadline to surrender them to five designated collection centres in the state.
“With the expiration of the deadline, JTF has commenced house-to-house search for rifles and arms under its phase II programme of ridding Maiduguri metropolis and some towns in Borno State affected by the Boko Haram insurgency of illegal arms,” said Mohammed.
all the illegally possessed arms are fully retrieved. Right now, our targets are rifles, arms and improvised explosive devices, which are allegedly being used by the sect in attacking and killing people.”
He disclosed that the outfit had already conducted searches in Gomari, Mafoni, Kululuri and Bulabulin Ngarnnam areas of Maiduguri, adding that lots of rifles and ammunitions were retrieved.
He described the cooperation of the people as fantastic.
Mohammed said that at the end of the exercise, people with genuine licences would have their arms returned to them but warned that anybody caught in possession of arms illegally would face the wrath of the law.