IGP orders police to shoot on sight anyone carrying illegal firearms nationwide

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has ordered police officers nationwide to shoot on sight anyone found carrying illegal firearms, invoking Force Order 237 and citing rising casualties among security personnel as justification for the hardline directive issued during a stakeholders’ meeting in Benue State.

Nigeria’s top cop has drawn a clear, deadly line — carry an illegal firearm and face the consequences on the spot.

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu issued a shoot-on-sight directive against illegal arms carriers on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at Government House in Makurdi, Benue State, saying the order followed President Bola Tinubu’s direct instruction that the state’s persistent security crisis must end.

As reported by Vanguard, Disu was unambiguous in his message. “You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he declared.

The directive is underpinned by Force Order 237, which empowers police officers to respond immediately to armed threats without waiting for clearance from superior officers. “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 said.

The IGP cited the mounting toll on security personnel as a key driver of the decision. “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. “They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary.”

Disu was equally clear that the directive alone would not be sufficient without active civilian support. He appealed to residents to provide timely and credible intelligence, describing community cooperation as essential to dismantling armed criminality.

Benue State has endured a sustained wave of attacks by armed groups in recent months, with scores killed, thousands displaced and widespread property destruction recorded. The Federal Government has responded by deploying additional security personnel and escalating operational measures in the statThe shoot-on-sight order applies nationwide and takes effect immediately across all police commands.