TheNewsGuru

Tag: guns

  • Bauchi govt demolishes house with 1,000 rifles

    Bauchi govt demolishes house with 1,000 rifles

    Bauchi State Governor Senator Bala Mohammed has ordered the demolition of a house where over 1,000 rifles were discovered in a densely populated area in Bauchi metropolis.

    Governor Mohammed, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Ladan Salihu, during the demolition exercise, yesterday in Bauchi, said a sack concealed with over 1000 ammunitions as well as military and immigration uniforms was discovered in one of the rooms in the house.

    He said security agencies discovered the ammunition after they received information from some good Samaritans.

    The governor said he ordered the demolition of the house to serve as a lesson and deterrent to those hoarding arms or criminals in their residences.

    He said the police had commenced investigation into the matter.

  • Cocaine, opiods, guns found inside Lil Wayne’s jet

    US Federal agents reportedly found cocaine, opioids and guns inside the private jet owned by Rapper Lil Wayne.

    The Sun Sentinel reported that charges could be filed against the singer.

    Miami Herald also reported that drugs and guns were found inside the plane.

    Lil Wayne flew into Miami on Monday aboard his Gulfstream G-V that was capable of carrying 14 passengers.

    Federal agents, including the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives obtained a warrant to frisk the plane, detained at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport.

    Miami-Dade Police had received a tip-off about weapons and marijuana possibly being transported on Wayne’s plane and then alerted federal authorities so they could obtain a search warrant.

    There has been no statement issued to confirm newspaper reports on items found on the plane.

    Amidst report about the items found in the plane, Wayne made light of the affair when he tweeted early Tuesday:

  • Drugs, guns found on Juice Wrld’s jet before he died-Police

    Guns and drugs were found in the baggage of passengers on the private jet that carried Juice Wrld, US rapper, to the city before he died, US police authorities have confirmed.

    This is just as Wrld was administered an opioid antidote shortly before his death as Chicago police prepared to search his private plane following a tip-off.

    The budding entertainer died on Sunday, after reportedly suffering a seizure and “bleeding from the mouth” in Chicago’s Midway Airport.

    But Anthony Guglielmi, Chicago police spokesperson, said agents met the rapper’s private plane as it arrived in Chicago, following a tip-off that it was carrying drugs and guns.

    According to the Chicago Tribune, during a search a drug-sniffing dog discovered 41 “vacuum-sealed” bags of marijuana, six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup, two 9 mm pistols, a 40-caliber pistol, a high-capacity ammunition magazine and metal-piercing bullets.

    The two men identified by police as working security for Higgins were also charged with misdemeanor offenses for illegally possessing the guns and ammunition.

    The rapper was also said to have had a seizure during the search and the drug Narcan was administered on him after his girlfriend confirmed he had been taking Percocet, an opioid painkiller, before he died at the hospital.

     

     

  • Amosun speaks on report of sponsoring ‘illegal’ arms importation

    Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former governor of Ogun State, has denied illegally importing massive cache of AK47 assault rifles and ammunition into the country and handing them over to the police towards the end of his administration.

    According to reports that had emerged Monday night, it was said that the ex-governor imported, without appropriate permits, 1,000 AK47 assault guns and two million rounds of ammunition.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday night by his media aide, Mr Rotimi Durojaiye, where Amosun reacted, he said though the former governor admitted handing over some armoured vehicles and light weapons to the Ogun State Police Command at the twilight of his government, he vehemently denied that guns were involved in the handing over exercise.

    Amosun further clarified that he imported the security hardware with the approval of the Presidency, under Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.

    The statement reads in part, “It is important to stress that this was not the first time that Senator Amosun, whilst in office as governor and former chief security officer of Ogun State would be handing over security assets to the police.

    “The particular exercise of 28 May 2019 was done openly in the full glare of the public and the media to ensure accountability, guarantee transparency and judicious use of the assets.

  • Indiscriminate killings: Police to start using taser, stun guns for operations – IGP

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says the police are in the process of acquiring and deploying less lethal weaponry during operations.

    Adamu made this known on Thursday in Osogbo at the inauguration of a Zonal Security Stakeholders’ Forum, a community policing concept for the Police Zone XI comprising Ondo, Osun and Oyo.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the forum was aimed at galvanising the people of the three states toward identifying and partnering with the police to address peculiar security challenges.

    The IGP, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, said he had commenced the process of addressing factors that engender conflict and distrust between the citizens and the police, particularly issues bordering on misuse of firearms and sundry abuses of police powers.

    “Toward this end, we are in the process of migrating from total dependence on lethal weaponry as first line of police operations toward acquiring and deploying less lethal weaponry such as taser or stun guns.

    “Under the new policy, personnel on low-risk policing duties like routine patrols, arrest duties, and civil disorder management will be armed with taser guns or stun guns as a strategic approach toward reducing incidents of fatalities associated with misapplication of lethal weapons by the police when faced with low level threats,’’ he said.

    He also ordered that the shift duty structure of the Nigeria Police, which is currently a 12-hour, two -shift system should be reverted to the traditional eight-hours, three-shifts shift standard.

    Adamu said the medical service of the police had also been directed to introduce emotional intelligence, stress management and cognitive therapy toward enhancing the psychological and emotional stability of all police personnel while on duty.

    He said all these initiatives were directed at closing the trust gap between the police and the citizens as well as create a conducive condition for partnership between them.

    Adamu commended the foresight, professional depth and sense of commitment to duty of AIG Adeleye Oyebade, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone XI, Osogbo, for conceptualising and driving the process of inaugurating the stakeholders’ forum.

    He said he had initiated actions toward inaugurating a Nigeria Police Community Policing Implementation Standing Committee.

  • We bribed DSS, others N1m to clear 661 Guns – suspect

    The trial of five men who were charged with illegal importation of 661 pump-action guns continued on Monday, with the first defendant, Mahmud Hassan, alleging that the gang paid N1 million to security agents to smuggle in the gun consignment at the Apapa Port, Lagos.

    Hassan made the allegation in a video played in court on Monday by the prosecution.

    The video was played in a trial-within-trial to test the voluntariness of the statement made by Hassan while in the custody of the Department of State Services.

    Hassan’s lawyer, Yakubu Galadima, had, at the previous hearing, opposed the move by the prosecution to tender his client’s statement as an exhibit, contending that he was tortured to make the statement.

    Justice Ayokunle Faji had then ordered a trial-within-trial to test the voluntariness of the statement.

    At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution played a video of how Hassan was interrogated by the DSS operatives.

    The clip indicated that the interrogation was conducted on March 27, 2017 between 2pm and 2.45pm.

    The prosecution tendered the video clip in court through a DSS operative, Jaiye Emmanuel.

    The video captured Hassan as saying while being quizzed: “I gave N1 million to facilitate the moving of the container out of the port, but it is not because of the guns.”

    When Hassan was asked how the N1 million was shared among security agencies, he said: “The examiners were given N200,000; C.I.O. N100,000; enforcement N200,000; police, SSS, between N20,000, N25,000, and N30,000; the toll gates, N200,000; exit gate, N20,000; and final gate, N50,000.”

    The clip also captured Hassan telling his interrogators that he first billed the owner of the consignment N3.8 million when he was first told that the container contained steel doors, but raised the cost of clearing the consignment to N4 million when he was told that the consignment included 661 pump-action guns.

    Hassan is standing trial alongside Oscar Okafor; Donatus Achinulo; Matthew Okoye, said to be at large; and Salihu Danjuma.

    They were arraigned by the Federal Government on June 14, 2017 for allegedly importing 661 pump-action rifles into the country without lawful authority.

    In the eight charges pressed against the defendants, the Attorney General of the Federation said the defendants brought 661 pump-action rifles into the country from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

  • We arrested 106 criminals, recovered 26 guns during Operation ‘Python Dance’ –Army

    The Nigerian Army said on Monday that its troops arrested 106 suspected armed robbers, kidnappers and cult members during the just concluded Operation Python Dance in the five South-East states.

    The Army, who noted that the suspects had been handed over to the state police commands, said 26 assorted guns were also recovered during the exercise.

    The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, and 82 Division, Col. Sagir Musa, said this in a statement, where he noted that the exercise, despite its controversies, had reduced crimes in the South-East.

    Musa added, “The one month Exercise Egwu Eke (Python Dance) II, conducted at the 82 Division’s area of responsibility, which covers the South-East geopolitical zone, helped in thwarting criminal activities such as illegal bunkering, armed robbery, kidnapping, violent secession agitations, banditry and communal clashes.

    “So far, 106 suspects were arrested for different offences, in different areas across the South-East and all were handed over to the police in the various police commands across the region. In addition, 26 assorted arms and some quantities of cartridges were recovered.

    “At the end of the Army exercise, available records from the Division’s Medical Hospital and Services indicated that 10,446 persons, excluding school pupils, benefited from the free medical outreaches conducted by the division.”

    According to the Army, among the outreaches were in the Isuokwaoto Local Government Area of Abia State, which had 2,005 persons and Nkwaagu community, Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, which had 1,401 persons.

    Operation Python Dance, which started on September 15 and lasted till October 14, was held in the five south-eastern states of Abia, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi and Anambra.

    The exercise also touched some parts of Cross River State.

    During the operation, the Army at the 82 Division divided its troops into four sectors.

    It said it conducted raids on suspected criminal hideouts and arrested fleeing cult members in various communities.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai officially ended the Operation Python Dance on Monday.

     

  • Customs to meet Turkish envoy over illegal importation of arms into Nigeria

    Troubled by the illegal importation of arms into the country, the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday announced that the service would be having a diplomatic meeting with the Ambassador of Turkey on Friday.

    The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, (retd.), stated this in Lagos on Thursday where he confirmed the seizure of 470 pump action rifles in Tin Can Island Port.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru.com reported on Wednesday that the Tin Can Island command of the service on Tuesday uncovered another container suspected to contain yet another cache of arms imported from Turkey.

    According to Ali, the importer had falsely declared the recent consignment as elbow plumbing plastics.

    He explained that this illicit trade had been ongoing for the past seven months, maintaining that this seizure brought to a total of 2,671 rifles seized within the last eight months.

    The interception of the 470 rifles came barely one week after the command intercepted a 20-foot container load of 1,100 pump-action rifles.

    The seizure is the third in the series of container loads of arms seizure at Tin Can Port alone and fourth in the country within eight months.

    He stressed that Nigeria could not afford to allow dangerous weapons into the country especially at a time when it was faced with different security threats.

    He said, “Tomorrow, we will be having a diplomatic meeting with the Ambassador of Turkey specifically on this issue, this is one of the steps being taken outside the shores of the country to address this illicit trade.

    “We have found out that the people bringing in these weapons are Nigerians. There are syndicates in Turkey who are manifesting these weapons. We are yet to get to the bottom of the whole issue. We will investigate to know if these weapons are meant for commercial purposes or group of insurgents or agitators.”

  • FG arraigns five for illegal importation of 661 guns

    The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned five men for allegedly importing 661 pump-action rifles into the country without lawful authority.

    The accused were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    They are Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Matthew Okoye, said be at large, and Salihu Danjuma.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)recently intercepted a truck load of 661 brand new pump-action rifles in Lagos state.

    In the charge, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said the accused brought the rifles into the country from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

    To facilitate the illegal importation, the accused allegedly forged a number of documents including a bill of lading, a Form M and a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report.

    According to the prosecution, in order to evade payment of Customs duty, the accused allegedly forged a bill of lading issued at Istanbul on January 9, 2017, falsely claiming that it was issued at Shanghai, China.

    In the forged bill of lading, they allegedly filled “steel door” as the content of the container instead of rifles.

    They were also said to have allegedly offered a bribe of N400,000 to an official of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Federal Operative Unit to influence the said officer not to conduct a “hundred per cent search on the 40-feet container with number PONU 825914/3.”

    The prosecution also alleged that the first accused, Hassan, corruptly gave N1m to government officials at the Apapa Port in order to prevent the search of the container by Customs officials.

    In the last count, the Federal Government alleged that the defendants had between 2012 and 2016 illegally imported several double-barreled shotguns, pump-action rifles, and single-barreled shotguns into the country through Lagos.

    The eight counts pressed against them border on conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, uttering of forged documents, and bribery.

    The offences were said to be contrary to sections 1(2)(c), 1(14) (a)(i) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

    Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, K.A. Fagbemi, applied for a date to commence trial but urged the court to order that the accused should be remanded in the prison custody pending trial.

    Justice Faji adjourned till September 12, 2017, for definite hearing and ordered that the accused should be remanded in the prison custody.

  • Police parades 17 suspected Fulani herdsmen over Southern Kaduna killings

    Police parades 17 suspected Fulani herdsmen over Southern Kaduna killings

    The Police at Force headquarters on Wednesday paraded 17 suspects arrested in connection with the violence in Kafanchan and environs in Southern Kaduna which has claimed the lives of many persons and led to destruction of property.

    The 17 suspects according to the Force Public relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood were arrested for inciting public disturbance, disturbance of public peace, causing mischief by fire, culpable homicide, theft and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

    Explaining how the suspects were arrested, CSP Moshood said, “Concerned by the recent unfortunate sectarian crisis in Kafanchan and neighbouring communities in Kaduna state where so many lives were lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed, and the need to put a final stop to the crisis, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris constituted a Joint Tactical Operations Squad.

    “The Squad known as Operation Harmony comprised the Police Mobile Squad, Counter Terrorism Unit, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Team, SIB, Explosive Ordinance Department, IGP Monitoring Unit, Police K9 (Sniffer Dog Section), Police Air Wing and Police Medical Team with headquarters in Kafanchan.

    Suspects in Southern Kaduna killings “The Operation recorded remarkable achievements in tackling the crisis and preventing further disturbance of public peace across Southern Kaduna. [

    The suspects made up of both Fulani herdsmen and Natives of Southern Kaduna include Nelson Paul, the arms supplier to the suspects; Bulus Jatau, Magaji Shuaibu, Danlami Yakubu, Idris Bello, Danjuma Barde, Goma Adamu, Samuel Joshua, and Abdulkareem Abdul. Others are Haruna Ilyasu, Hassan Idris, Adamu Haruna, Adamu Umar, Suleiman Saleh, Abubakar Muhammadu, and Muhammadu Jori.

    The Force PRO gave a breakdown of arms and ammunition recovered from the suspects saying, “A total number of 29 assorted firearms and ammunition were recovered from their possession.

    “All the suspects will be charged to court on completion of investigation for inciting public disturbance, disturbance of public peace, causing mischief by fire, culpable homicide, theft and unlawful possession of arms” Moshood said.

    Responding to questions, the FPRO said more suspects will soon be arrested noting that investigations was still going on concerning individual and collective roles played in the crisis.

    He assured the people and communities of Southern Kaduna of the resolve of the IGP to ensure adequate security and protection of lives and property while enjoining them to be law abiding and give peace a chance to prevail and cooperate with the police personnel deployed in their localities.

    When asked how he got the guns he sold to the other suspects, Nelson Paul said he got them from Plateau State adding that he sold each of the guns which included 3 AK 47 Rifles, between N30, 000 and N40, 000.