The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has disclosed that more than 4,000 firearms have been voluntarily surrendered by civilians under the government’s gun amnesty initiative.

According to the Minister, security agencies had already recovered about 11,000 firearms from civilians even before the formal amnesty period was introduced. However, the launch of the programme encouraged additional individuals to hand over weapons without facing legal consequences.

Speaking on TV3 on Sunday, March 15, Muntaka said the initiative has yielded encouraging results.

“That’s why we came in with the amnesty. And when we rolled out the amnesty period, the statistics showed that we were able to retrieve over 4,000 guns in the hands of civilians,” he stated.

He explained that the weapons collected through the exercise are currently being catalogued and marked by the relevant security agencies as part of preparations for their eventual destruction.

The Minister indicated that the amnesty programme forms part of a broader government strategy to tackle the spread of illegal firearms and strengthen public safety across the country.

He noted that removing unlicensed weapons from circulation is crucial in supporting the work of security agencies in addressing violent crime.

The Ministry of the Interior had earlier announced an extension of the gun amnesty programme from January 15 to January 30, 2026, to allow more individuals to voluntarily surrender illegal or unregistered firearms.

The initiative was first declared on November 18, 2025, and took effect on December 1, 2025, as part of efforts to reduce the proliferation of illicit arms and enhance national security.