The residents of Ekpan community in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State expressed their appreciation to the police for their efforts in recovering weapons from more than 30 militant youths. The youths reportedly voluntarily surrendered their arms and ammunition at the Ekpan Division of the Nigeria Police.
It was gathered that the weapons recovery by the police followed an initiative by the youths leadership and the Divisional Police Command, who championed the campaign for disarmament in the community.
It was gathered that over 30 guns ranging from AK47, double barrelled guns, and other assorted rifles including G3, FMC, and mostly pump action guns with their ammunition had been recovered by the police in Ekpan Division as of Friday.
There is a strong possibility that more youths in the Ekpan community will voluntarily surrender additional firearms, following the truce facilitated by the Ekpan Divisional Police Officer, CSP Aliyu Shaba.
This development comes after enduring years of terror inflicted by the militants, who were engaged in intense gun battles for control of the community’s youth leadership. The newfound peace and willingness to relinquish weapons indicate a significant step towards stability in the region.
One of the community leaders at the popular Ekpan market, Mrs. Grace Amurun, who could not hide her joy over the news of arms surrender by the warring factions, described the development as “a rare feat”.
While commending the initiative of the police division for making it possible, she recalled with nostalgia that youth restiveness and all sorts of violent crimes had been prevalent in the area for years.
She said, “Ekpan, as you are all aware, had been the most troublesome community in Delta State. For some of us who have lived here, we had to sleep every night with our two eyes open, especially in the last 10 years when youth restiveness and all sorts of violent crimes got to their peak.
“In all these years, there had never been a time that we heard that the militants surrendered their weapons on their own. This is the first time in history that we are hearing such and we are happy about it because this signifies the end of the violence that had terrorised the residents of this area.
“It is on this note that we want to sincerely appreciate those who have made this feat possible, especially Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, for the recommendation and approval for transfer of the new DPO, CSP Shaba, to Ekpan, as well as various community leaders for their commitment”.
Meanwhile, the President of Ekpan Youths, Comrade Victor Edavwe, expressed his satisfaction with the success of the arm surrender initiative carried out by the community’s youths.
He attributed the positive outcome to the collaborative efforts between the youths’ leadership and the Delta State Police Command, with commendation for the Ekpan Divisional Police Officer’s (DPO), instrumental role in leading the campaign for arms disarmament within the community.
The effective synergy between the parties involved has played a significant role in achieving the desired results and promoting a safer environment in Ekpan.
“We are still engaging our youths in a series of meetings and even till this morning, we held a meeting with various community leaders on the need to further admonish their youths to comply with the directive or be prepared to face the unpleasant consequences of defying the order to surrender their guns”, he stated.
