Imo Police Arrest Suspected Arms Supplier, Recover Weapons Cache

(Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso. Photo by Punch News)

The Imo State Police Command has arrested a suspected gun-runner from Rivers State who allegedly supplies ammunition to kidn@pping syndicates operating in Imo State.

Speaking to newsmen during a press briefing on Friday, the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said the suspect’s arrest followed the earlier arrest of members of a kidn@pping syndicate who allegedly confessed to investigators about their source of ammunition.

In another development, the police commissioner said operatives of the command arrested two suspected kidn@pping kingpins, Confidence Vitalis, 28, of Ukugba, Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, and Ishiaya Rejoice, 32, of Emuoha in Rivers State.

Bosso said the suspects were arrested after operatives carried out a follow-up operation at a suspected kidn@ppers’ and t3rrorists’ hideout located within the Egbema River creek, where they also rescued a victim abducted by the same kidn@pping syndicate.

According to him, intelligence obtained from the rescue operation led to the subsequent arrest of the kingpins, and their confessional statements led operatives to the suspects’ hideout, culminating in the latest operation.

He said the Command recovered one AK-47 rifle, four AK-47 magazines, sixteen rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, three locally made cut-to-size guns, sixteen live cartridges, one empty Beretta magazine, twenty rounds of GPMG ammunition, one human skull, and assorted criminal charms during the operation.

He added that investigations linked the gang to the recent k!lling of two personnel of the Imo State Homeland Security, explaining that further investigation established that the same criminal gang was responsible for the k!lling of the two operatives at Umuguma, Owerri West Local Government Area, recently, during an attempt to kidn@p Mrs Betty Oluchi Dike, adding that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.

Bosso also disclosed that, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the command stormed the Obiakpu swamps in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, where they recovered a large cache of ammunition.

He said the operatives recovered an additional cache of 346 rounds of live ammunition, comprising 122 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 148 rounds of M16 rifle ammunition, and 76 rounds of 9mm Beretta pistol ammunition, along with seven magazines, comprising four AK-47 rifle magazines and three M16 rifle magazines.