My guns are for pipeline vandals, not Boko Haram – Suspect

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a gunrunner, recovering 10 AK47 rifles from the man who used to go to Burkina Faso to buy the guns and smuggl them into Nigeria concealed in yam flour.
Attempting to rationalise his crime, the suspect, Abdulazeez Amao, 47, claimed that he always tried to make sure he did not sell guns to armed robbers.
Amao stressed that he sells to pipeline vandals, not robbers or Boko Haram members.
Amao said that he used to go to a market in Burkina Faso to meet one Zakari Watara, who sells the guns to him.
He revealed that Watara buys the guns in Mali and brings them to the market in Burkina Faso to meet buyers like him.
His words: “I buy the guns and sell in Nigeria.
“Watara is from Wayalga area in Ouagadougou, Capital Burkina Faso.
“He gets his supply from Mali where he would transport the rifles to Wayalga market in Burkina Faso, from where I buy from him.
“In order to bring them into Nigeria, I used to package them into large containers of condensed milk.
“On getting between the border of Nigeria and Benin Republic, I will remove them from the condensed milk and conceal them in yam flour.
“It’s from there I would travel to Ibadan.
“There, I will alert a man called Gbenga Olusegun, who is an intermediary between I and two of my buyers in Onitsha, Moses Okoli and Obiora Nnanna.
“Normally, I don’t sell to Boko Haram members.
“I sell to Olusegun, who sells to the Igbo boys.
“The boys said they use the guns for oil bunkering.”
Amao was arrested after the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, Lagos State arrested a gang of robbers, who mentioned the name of one Olatunji Tunbosun, a hunter, who assists in getting them guns.
When Tunbosun was arrested, he mentioned the name of Amao and one Gbenga Olusegun as those behind the gunrunning racket.
Amao was arrested, but Olusegun simply vanished.
According to the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Umar Manko, Olusegun and others may run all they want, but it was only a matter of time before the police in Lagos catches up with them.
Manko said that he had received information on March 10, 2014 that one Olatunji Tunbosun was a gang member of notorious armed robbers and had directed the officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyarri, to track down the suspect.
Tunbosun was arrested at Ikorodu, with one AK47 rifle.
When he was quizzed, he confessed to have bought the gun from Amao, an arms dealer in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Manko added: “Sequel to Tunbosun’s confessions, two SARS decoy teams were briefed and deployed to Ibadan and after eight days, Amao was arrested in his house at Ayegun area, Olomi Bus Stop. Ten AK47 rifles were recovered from him.
‘He confessed to have sold several other AK47 rifles and English pistols to several buyers in Oyo, Lagos and Anambra States.
“Most of the buyers got information of his arrest and ran, but effort is on to get them.”
Reacting to Amao’s dexterity in concealing and smuggling the guns into Nigeria by beating security agents, Manko said that the suspect’s methodologies were eye opener for those of then in security.
The police boss explained that since both men were arrested in Nigeria, there might not be need for Interpol, but added: “But for the fact that the guns went through Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin, Republic, I think it’s something to probe further.
“I have a mandate to make sure there’s peace in Lagos and I will follow it through.”
According to Amao, he started the business early 2014 and was initiated by the fleeing Gbenga Olusegun.
Speaking on his system of beating security agents, he said: “We don’t settle Customs officers, which is why we conceal the guns in yam flour and move in the night.”
He said he has two wives and both women knew he was a smuggler, but had cleverly hidden his arm running business from them.
He said: “Yes, my wives know that I’m a smuggler and they had warned me several times against the business.
“I now wished I had listened to them.
“But they didn’t know that I was into gun running.
“I don’t bring the guns into the country in large quantity like this.
“I bring two or three at a time.”
Tunbosun explained that after his arrest, he fingered Olusegun and Amao.
But Olusegun escaped.
He said: “After my arrest, police asked me how I used to get the guns.
“I didn’t even buy the guns from him.
“I took the buyers to him.
“Yes, I brought business to him and it was only once in 2012.
“I’m a local hunter and I used to buy cartridges from him.
“I have learnt my lesson here.
“Bible says that we should confess our sins, so that our sins would be pardoned.
“God can touch the police to pardon me.
“Those that came to me for guns, whom I directed to Amao, told me that they were fighting in their village leadership.
Yes, I also linked Gbenga to Amao.”