The Lagos State Police Command has
arrested two suspects for allegedly bringing in guns to sell in the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
suspects; Tunde Jimoh and Matthew Olu; were nabbed from a hideout in Ilorin,
Kwara State.
According to the police, the suspects
wanted to purchase four AK-47 guns with 128 rounds of ammunition from Kwara
State, which would be escorted by a fake soldier to Lagos.
They were, however, arrested by operatives
of the state Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The police said the gang members lived and
operated from Kogi State.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Jimoh,
28, who hails from Okenne, denied the knowlege of the guns.
He said, “I am a commercial driver. I work
in Osogbo, Osun State. It was one of my friends who pleaded with me to help him
drive a car from Osogbo to Lokoja. He said he had a customer in Lokoja that
wanted to buy a car. He told me there was a gun in the boot. I told him I could
not go alone, and he said he would come with me. In the process, the police
arrested both of us.
“I am married with two children. I had
helped my friend to bring a vehicle from Ilorin to Kaduna many times in the
past. I do not know anything about gunrunning.”
Forty-three-year-old Olu, an indigene of
Yegba in Kogi State, who usually disguised as a soldier during their trips,
confessed that he went into the gunrunning business because of poverty.
He said, “I needed some money. A cousin
called Gboye said someone was going to pay me some money, and I should come
over to Lokoja.
“While in Lokoja on December 20, the
person told me to come to Ilorin and bring a car for him. He said he would give
me N50,000. I knew the vehicle had a gun. It was while I was to collect it that
we were arrested.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said other members were still being hunted by the
police.
He said, “The two suspects were arrested
where they went to procure guns. They are in SARS custody and efforts are on to
arrest other members connected.”
No comments:
Post a Comment