•Arrests 2 brothers
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the arms had been revoked since 1982.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: Sun
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