Police order stun Guns for Operatives
by Adelani Adepegba
The police authorities have placed orders for electro-muscular disruption technology-based weaponry commonly known as taser or stun guns for low-risk police operations.
Our correspondent gathered that the weapon which would be deployed early next year, was meant to curb the incidents of extra-judicial killings by police operatives in the country.
Taser which stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle is named after a series of children’s science-fiction novels written in the early 20th century featuring a young inventor Tom Swift. It is mainly manufactured in the United States and Czech Republic .
The Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, informed our correspondent on Tuesday that the weapon was expected to arrive in the country before the end of the year.
He explained that the stun guns would be customised to suit the local operating environment, adding that the weapon cannot be purchased off the shelf.
Mba said, “I can confirm that we have placed orders for tasers or stun guns, but you know it takes a long gestation period because such guns are not bought off the shelf.
“Every police force orders for and customised its stun guns to suit its operating environment and unique needs, so they are not always bought off the shelf. There are also a lot of clearance processes involved, including end user certificates at national level and also from the originating point. Those are the factors that would delay its delivery.”
The spokesman declined to reveal the quantity of the stun guns or the contract sum, but noted that the necessary processes for the purchase had been initiated.
“The processes of acquisition, shipment, and clearance have been activated, so we are expecting it; Before the end of the year, we would have them,” he explained.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu had said the weapon would be acquired to address public concern over the misuse of firearms and extra-judicial killings by the police.
But the Reuters’ investigations showed that more than 1,000 Americans have died after police stunned them with tasers, and the stun gun was ruled to be a cause or contributing factor in 153 of those deaths.