suspected members of a gunrunning syndicate involved in the sale,
manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Olufemi Adenaike, said that the
suspected gun-runners were arrested following a tip-off from a member
of the public.
Adenaike said that seven suspects, including Malam Aliyu Yahaya, the
Village Head of Sabon Gidan, Kakau, in Chikun Local Government Area of
the state, were arrested in the operation.
According to him, investigations are still going on, with a view to
arresting other members of the syndicate and others involved in the
manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
He urged the public to continue to support security agents by
providing them with useful information that would aid efforts to
safeguard the state against terrorism and other crimes.
Speaking to newsmen, Yahaya, who was accused of harbouring some of
the suspects and being in illegal possession of guns, confessed his
complicity in the crime, saying that he regretted his action.
The village head said that he bought the gun from Mohammed Shuaibu
for N150,000 to enable him to protect his household against the menace
of armed robbers and assailants.
He said that Shuaibu told him that the gun was licensed, adding that
he paid him half of the price with a pledge to pay the balance when
all the gun's registration documents were given to him.
Yahaya advised the public against engaging in criminal acts or
possession of arms, irrespective of the circumstances.
He stressed that people should rather report anything that could
breach the peace and security of the society to security agencies.
Also speaking, Shuaibu, 45, confessed that some years ago, the police
arrested him in connection with illegal possession of arms.
He said that he had jettisoned the gunrunning business for over two
and a half years before Yahaya contacted him to procure a gun for him.
He said that that he usually bought guns from his tailor, Mohammed Abdullahi.
Abdullahi, 55, said that he had been in the gunrunning business for
sometime; adding that he usually purchased guns from a Nigerien (now
at large) for subsequent sales to his customers.
He attributed his involvement in the crime to economic hardship,
saying that he had three wives, 21 children and nine children, left
behind by his deceased son, to cater for.
0 comments:
Post a Comment