BY PETER DURU
The Benue State Police Command early in the week recorded a major breakthrough in its renewed onslaught against crime when it arrested a notorious gang of arms dealers who specialize in the supply of arms and ammunition to crisis prone areas of Jos the Plateau state capital.

The gang whose stock in trade was to supply locally-made but sophisticated weapons to the feuding parties in Plateau state were apprehended while hauling the arms to Jos through Benue State.

*The suspects with the recovered items.

Parading the suspects in Makurdi on Wednesday, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Obiako stated that the gang were arrested by his men early in the week in Vandeikya local government area at a stop-and-search check point mounted in the area.

Obiako stressed that the confessional statements of the accused revealed that they have been in the business over a long period of time and were making brisk business out of the venture.

He noted that the arrest of the suspects was made pursuant to a directive to all area commands to tighten the noose on criminals in the state with a view to ensuring that all those involved in any form of criminality were brought to book.

The Commissioner of Police said, “We are alive to our responsibilities and also determined to fight crime to a stand still.

“Benue State Police Command has therefore declared total war on those who are bent on perpetrating crime in the state; we will not spare anyone because we will continue to be diligent and total in this renewed onslaught.

“Let no one be deceived by his or her social status in the society because the law is not a respecter of any person and, of course, the Police will not hesitate to apprehend anyone said to be involved in crime or found to be aiding and abating criminality in the society”, Obiakor added.

Confession time

Ahungwa, the-gun-manufactur

Meanwhile, the leader of the arrested gang, Mr. Justin Abugieya who hails from Obudu local government area of Cross River State confessed to Crime Alert that he supplies arms to one Makzeta in Bassa LGA of Plateau State for onward distribution to the feuding parties in the state.

Abugieya explained that he ventured into the business out of frustration after his house was burnt in the recent Jos crisis.

“I started doing the business after I lost my property and belongings in the Jos crisis and I had nothing to fall back to”.

He said he has been sustaining himself and his family through the business but however regretted his actions, “It’s all in a bid to sustain my family that I am doing this business”, he added.

Items recovered from the gang includes; twelve single barrel guns which he sells for N15, 000, three locally-made revolver pistols which he said, goes for N25,000 and two locally-made barreta pistols that goes for N80, 000.

Arrest of gun runner

Another major catch by the Command was a gun manufacturer,Terkura Ahungwa, who resides in Koti-Yough, Vandeikya local government area of the State.

The suspect who was apprehended with his gun making tools and some finished products said gun making was his specialty from where he ekes his livelihood.

Mr. Ahungwa disclosed further to Crime Alert that he has been in the business for over 10 years now, adding that he manufactures guns for vigilante groups in the area.

He stated, “This is the only business I do in my life”.

Commenting further, the Commissioner of Police decried the high rate of criminality especially amongst youths in the state regretting that the state has in recent time, witnessed an upsurge in crime in major towns.

The Police Commissioner disclosed that over 51 youths within the ages of 28-30 were already in police custody for various crimes assuring that his men were on top of the situation.

He blamed parents for this development, maintaining that they have failed in their responsibilities to check the activities of their children and wards.

Mr. Obiako warned that the police would not spare anybody no matter how highly placed who is caught in any crime especially during this ember month.

The police commissioner also frowned at the high rate of car theft in the State involving government owned vehicles. He also decried the abuse of these vehicles which he said were  usually seen parked in odd places at night.

According to him, “only recently, three vehicles were parked at a filling station and they were stolen. It was discovered that they were government vehicles. One was however recovered. In all, we have recovered 7 cars including one belonging to a police officer that was stolen from Abuja and brought to Makurdi”.

He therefore urged government drivers to either park the vehicles in their offices or at secured places.