Police arrest suspected 77-year-old gun runner in Delta

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a suspected 77-year-old gun runner.

The spokesman of the Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police Edafe Bright, revealed this on Sunday.

In a statement he issued, Edafe said the road leading to the arrest of the suspect started on November 11, 2021 at about 5am following a distress call that three suspected armed robbers were in the premises of a man (name withheld) along Ozoro-Ughelli Road.

The Divisional Police Officer, Ozoro Division, CSP Ogedengbe Areguamen, led a combined team of Police and Vigilante to the scene.

The suspected armed robbers on sighting the police teams took to their heels and the team gave them a hot chase during which one of the suspects, Emma Ighodalo, of Irri village, aged 28, was arrested with one live cartridge, while two members of his gang escaped.

Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that he threw his gun away somewhere in the bush as he was running and that he bought the said gun from One Michael Enipozi for the sum of N30,000.

Bright said Ighodalo led the Police to Irri village where Enipozi, also of Irri in Isoko South LGA, aged 77, was arrested.

Three double barrel guns, two single barrel guns and other tool used in producing guns were recovered from him.

Bright said preliminary investigation revealed that the 77-year-old suspect is a welder who produces guns for criminals.

He admitted that he sold the gun to the suspect and that he has been in the business of producing guns for the past 20 years.

Bright said a manhunt for the other two fleeing suspects was ongoing.