Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested a graduate of Animal Science from the University of Uyo, Koabasi Marsodi, for allegedly operating an illegal arms fabrication facility in Uyo.
Marsodi was apprehended on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at about 9:00 p.m. during a coordinated raid targeting criminal hideouts, illegal arms production centres, and drug networks across the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed the development in a statement issued in Uyo on Monday. She said the operation followed credible intelligence reports linking a facility located at Idem Street, off Itu Road, to criminal activities.
According to the statement, the premises were initially suspected to be a production and distribution centre for chin-chin snacks laced with Indian hemp. However, upon raiding the location, operatives discovered that the facility also functioned as a clandestine workshop for the fabrication and modification of arms and ammunition.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly operated the illegal facility and had reportedly confessed to producing narcotic-laced snacks as well as engaging in the unlawful fabrication of firearms, including shortening long guns into concealable weapons.
Items recovered from the premises included eight refilled cartridges, six expended cartridges, a bag of gunpowder, refilling pellets, a pack of striking pins, and a rifle butt. Officers also seized filing, cutting, and drilling machines allegedly used for weapon fabrication, assorted saws, filing and cutting stones, two machetes, substances suspected to be Indian hemp, packets of chin-chin believed to be laced with narcotics, and two pairs of black military boots, belts, nd a jacket.
The police said investigations are ongoing to track and apprehend other members of the criminal network allegedly mentioned during interrogation.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Baba Mohammed Azare, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to identifying, dismantling, and prosecuting individuals involved in illegal arms production, drug distribution, and related crimes threatening public safety.
He warned criminal elements to desist from unlawful activities or face the full weight of the law, adding that intelligence-driven operations would continue across identified crime hotspots in the state.
