The special unit of the Imo State
Police Command, “Police Ambush Squad,” has discovered a firearms depot at Udume
Ogwa in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The suspects, Okechukwu
and Donatus, who are brothers, were arrested at the depot during alleged
negotiation to sell a pump action to a prospective buyer.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Mohammed Katsina, told Crime Watch that the prime suspect, Donatus, brought the
illegal arms and ammunition from Turkey and that though they were licensed but
that the licence of the arms had been revoked since 1982.
“It was through information that
the Police Ambush Squad received that made them to storm his house and
recovered over 13 pump action rifles; other assorted rifles seven hundred and
fifty (750) live cartridges; One carton of security torchlights and a bullet proof
jacket with the inscription, “Nigeria Police” and bearing the initials of the
Imo State Police Commissioner,” he said.
CP Katsina explained that the
weapons were recovered at house number 10, Oluwasunji Street, Ikotun-Egbe,
Lagos State, while at the other suspect’s house at Udume Ogwa, pump action was
recovered when it was searched by the police. CP Katsina said the suspect had
been selling arms and ammunition illegally in Imo State and that he sold to
most criminals in Imo State, who used the arms for kidnapping.
CP Katsina added that the special
squad arrested Donatus’ younger brother, Okechukwu, who was selling the arms
and ammunition in Imo State, “before we laid ambush and arrested his elder
brother, who confessed that he brought the illegal arms and ammunition like
hand luggage from Turkey when he was coming to Nigeria three years ago.
The suspect, explained his role to
Crime Watch: “I brought the arms and ammunition from Turkey as hand luggage. I
have the licence but since 1982 and I know that the Federal Government has
embargoed the arms and ammunition. I kept these arms and ammunition in my house
where my younger brother, Okechukwu, stole some of the arms and started selling
them in Imo State.”
Donatus, who hails from Udume-Ogwa
in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State said the ammunition was kept in his house for
three years until his younger brother stole them and started selling. “I live
in Lagos State while my brother used to come from Imo State to steal them from
where I kept them and started selling them at cheap price,” he said.
Okechukwu said he lived in Imo
State and that he went to Lagos State to steal the ammunition and started
selling each pump action at N250,000. “Some gang in Imo State have been buying
the arms and ammunition from me, my elder brother, Donatus, brought them from
Turkey to Nigeria.”
CP Katsina said in the history of
Imo State, the police had never recovered such number of illegal arms and
ammunition. “The command has reconstituted illegal arms mopping squad to deal
with the high level of arms proliferation in the state.”
He said this was a warning to those
who have such illegal arms and ammunition in their houses in Imo State and
called on them to surrender them to the police headquarters in Owerri or face
prosecution. He said the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Source: The Sun
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