Police Deny 'Shoot-on-Sight' Order After IG's Benue Comments Spark Confusion

The Nigeria Police Force moved to clarify statements by Inspector-General Olatunji Disu following a security meeting in Makurdi, Benue State, denying that he had ordered officers to shoot anyone carrying illegal weapons on sight. The clarification came after multiple media reports interpreted the police chief's remarks during Friday's stakeholders gathering as an explicit directive to use lethal force against unlicensed firearm bearers.

During the Makurdi meeting, Disu addressed police firearm protocols while discussing efforts to address violence in Benue State, a move prompted by directives from President Bola Tinubu to curtail rising insecurity in the region. The police force later stated that the IGP had referenced Force Order 237, the operational framework that outlines the conditions under which Nigerian police officers are legally authorised to deploy firearms.

The Force Public Relations Officer, through a Saturday statement, maintained that video evidence from the meeting contradicted the 'shoot-on-sight' interpretation circulating in reports. The police characterised the media coverage as a misreading of the IGP's remarks, arguing that no blanket authorisation for indiscriminate lethal force had been delivered.

The discrepancy between initial reporting and the police's subsequent denial illustrates the ambiguity surrounding Disu's original statements at the Benue gathering. While some outlets reported his words as a direct order to shoot illegal arms carriers, the Force's explanation positioned his comments as a reference to existing legal protocols rather than a new mandate.

Force Order 237 governs the conditions under which police may use firearms in lawful operations.