By Deborah Nnamdi
The Enugu State Police Command has apprehended a 39-year-old suspected illegal firearms repairer and six other individuals in a series of intelligence-driven operations that resulted in the recovery of unauthorized weapons and ammunition.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
According to Ndukwe, the operations were conducted between June 15 and 21 as part of proactive crime-fighting strategies implemented by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mamman Giwa.
The operations led to the recovery of seven firearms, an expended cartridge, two live cartridges, and other incriminating items.
“On June 21, operatives from the Command’s Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad arrested a 25-year-old suspect at 9th Mile, recovering a cut-to-size double-barrelled gun and an expended cartridge,” Ndukwe stated.
The arrest followed confessions by three earlier apprehended suspects, all of whom identified themselves as members of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity. They admitted to using the recovered weapon in various criminal activities.
In a related development on June 17, the same squad arrested a 22-year-old suspect based on information provided by the alleged firearms repairer, who was initially arrested for connections to armed robbery and cultism.
The investigation led to the recovery of a locally fabricated Beretta-style pistol, two double-barrel pistols, one single-barrel pistol, a component of an English-made double-barrel gun, and a full set of firearm repair tools.
The suspected arms technician reportedly confessed to being a member of the Black Axe Confraternity and admitted to maintaining and repairing weapons used for criminal purposes.
Furthermore, between June 15 and 20, a joint operation by the SWAT and Octopus Tactical Squads targeted identified criminal hideouts in Nkanu West and Enugu North Local Government Areas.
During these raids, another 39-year-old suspect was arrested in possession of a locally-made Beretta-style pistol. A cut-to-size gun and two live cartridges were also recovered after being abandoned by fleeing suspects.
“All suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations,” the police spokesman added.
