By Tony Edike
ENUGU – ELEVEN days to the general elections, the State Security Service, SSS in Enugu State has stormed an illegal arms manufacturing factory at Agbada villagein Nenwe Community of Aninri Local Government Area recovering over 100 dangerous weapons of different categories.

The Director of State Security Service, SSS in the state, Mr. Taminu Adalkhali, who made this known while addressing the press in Enugu Tuesday , said the large cache of arms was discovered following an intelligence report received by his office, adding that the raid carried out at the illegal factory led to the recovery of the arms and other equipment used in manufacturing such weapons.

He said that four of the illegal arms manufacturers were arrested during the raid which, according to him, was part of the agency’s preparation to counter and contain threats that could disrupt the forthcoming elections in the state.

“It is in this direction that the command successfully carried out an operation with military backup in which four illegal arms manufacturers were arrested.

The service will continue to carry out such operations until all illegal arms in circulation are mopped up in the state,” the SSS Director said.

The recovered arms which were displayed before newsmen included, 56 single barrels,  20 single barrel long range guns, three single battle short range guns, one foreign-made Marrison Riffle, one locally made Marrison (Chettima), one foreign double barrel long range gun, two locally made long range double
barrel, three locally made double barrel short range pistols and one double barrel short Dane-gun.

Also recovered were one single barrel short range pistol, five long range engine, 19 engines with butt, 12 cannons, four double barrels, one revolver barrel, one box of tools and scraps, one carbide tank, one gas cylinder, empty cartridges, two vice machines, one Echo (tool), two drilling machines, one handsaw, one sand disc filling machine and one box of scraps.

Adalkhali said the most dangerous of the weapons were the short locally made guns which are commonly used by armed robbers to carry out their operations, adding that the guns manufactured in the factory have the capacity to kill instantly.

“If you look at some of the weapons the armed robbers use for their operations they are locally fabricated and they have the capacity to kill,” he said.

On the issue of bombings during political campaigns, the SSS Director described it as a new phenomenon in the history of the country, saying that in the past Nigerians hardly hear of bombs during political rallies.

He said that in Enugu State the SSS had taken measures to prevent such occurrences during political campaigns, explaining that “we will prepare operatives with their gadgets to sweep all venues of political rallies and gatherings to ensure that no such item is planted anywhere.”

He further said, “We have also taken other measures to ensure that undesirableelements are not given access into such venues. So with that kind of arrangement, it becomes very difficult for anybody to contemplate planting bombs anywhere within the state .  Our men are everywhere.”

The SSS Director, however, called on members of the public to continue to cooperate with the service by furnishing them with useful information that could help expose undesirable elements who are out to foment trouble during the elections, adding that such information would be treated with utmost
confidentiality.