Police arrest Cameroonian , 8 others for illegal gun manufacturing, recover arms in Benue

Police arrest Cameroonian , 8 others for illegal gun manufacturing, recover arms in Benue

The Benue State Police Command has bursted another illegal gun manufacturing camp in Kwande Local Government Area, (LGA) of the state and arrested suspects including a Cameroonian.

This was barely one week after the command paraded 12 suspects for sundry crimes including kidnapping banditry and illegal arm manufacturing.

The State Police Commissioner, Emmanuel Adesina disclosed this in his office on Wednesday while briefing newsmen.

CP Adesina said the arrests were part of efforts made by the command to clamp down on proliferation of fire arms in Benue State adding that the command has intensified intelligence gathering on arm manufacturers.

He told newsmen that “on March  4, 2024, at about 0430hrs, a team of Operation Zenda JTF invaded an arm manufacturing hideout at Amahundu, Nanev, Kwande LGA and arrested nine suspects.

The suspects include 24 year old Terer Terfa aka “Gadafi”, Aondonaugen Tseaa, 36 years, Torkuma Iorlaha 27 years, Hangeior Atim 25 years, Tyav Terwase 35 years, Gundu Gbagbogum 50 years and Terwase Shimashan 20 years.

Others are Terese Terver aka “Gbatiir” 18 years, all of various addresses in Kwande LGA and Adinga Ramseydihno 33 years from Republic of Cameroon.

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The Commissioner said the suspects confessed to be involved in manufacturing arms for local sales and export of arms.

According to him, exhibits recovered from the suspects include eight Barretta pistols under fabrication, one fabricated AK47 rifle, 10 AK47 live ammunition, five Barretta Pistol ammunition, four welding gas cylinders and other fabricating materials.

The Commissioner said investigation is ongoing to unravel the source of their raw material and other possible hideouts.

“They confessed to selling some of the arms to some people, we are going after those people mentioned to ensure we arrest them and recover those arms. Criminal are therefore warned to desist from such act or face the consequences,” he said.

Speaking to newsmen after parading the suspects, the Commander of Operation Zenda, a special Joint Task Force of the command, SP Felix Nomiyur, said the police have been on the trail of the suspects since November 2023.

“We got intelligence that a lot of arms manufacturing is going on around the Kwande axis and they sell to bandits within and outside the country. A foreigner is also among them and they have been doing that for a long time but on the March 4, 2024.”

He said he suspects that one of the suspects, Gadafi alone, within the period has manufactured over 200 locally made Barretta pistols which he has sold to people in Ebonyi state and bandits within the state.

He warned youths in the state to eschew crime as it is not a way out but but to engage themselves meaningfully to avoid getting into trouble with the law.

Police arrest Cameroonian , 8 others for illegal gun manufacturing, recover arms in Benue