Vigilante member, nephew arrested for gun running in Edo, Delta

A 50-year-old man, John Obuteh, has been arrested by officials of the Delta State Command of the National Taskforce for dealings in arms in Edo and Delta States.
The suspect, a farmer, was nabbed alongside his 29-year-old nephew, Friday Akibor, at Igbanke, a boundary village between Delta State and its neighbouring Edo State.
Men of the command acted on a tip-off before the suspects’ hideout was combed.
Before their arrest, the suspects were members of the Orhionmwon Vigilante Group in Edo State.
Describing the suspects as “inter-state criminals” who indulge in manufacturing of guns as well as servicing foreign ones for hoodlums, the Secretary of the Taskforce, Paul Robertson, said 12 single barrel guns, one double barrel gun, an expended cartridge, iron pole, device suspected to be a fabricator and one hand-saw were recovered from the home of the suspects when searched.
Robertson said some of the arms were fabricated by the suspects while others already loaded with bullets were without approval from the relevant government authority.
While Robertson said the mandate of the force – to combat illegal importation, smuggling of goods, small arms and ammunitions, light weapons and monitoring of oil pipeline vandalism – has not changed, he said the suspects and the exhibits were handed over to the Delta State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.
He said: “We have been working on this information for the past four days and this morning we raided one hideout where some criminals are manufacturing guns and even servicing foreign guns. That was where they were arrested.”
He however said his command would go further to monitor the prosecution of the suspects.
The suspects have however denied dealing in arms but that they were gun repairers.
Obuteh said: “I am a member of the vigilante in the village and I repair their guns for them.
“I charge N2,500 for any gun, which works after repairs.”
He said he was preparing to test-run the guns he had just repaired when the taskforce swooped on them.