Nigerian soldiers invaded an unauthorized gun factory in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State yesterday and nabbed two suspected manufacturers in the process.
While reporting the incidence, the commander of Operation Whirl Stroke Major Gen. Adeyemi Yekini, stated that he and his team members received some reports about five weeks before the invasion that there was an illegal gun factory around the Tachir Air Command in Benue’s Capital, Majurdi.
He said, “On getting the report, our intelligence team set out to investigate and after four weeks of surveillance, we were able to arrest the culprits.”
The commander confirmed that the two suspects arrested were Atti Cephas and Mnzuga Teryila.
To shed more light on the incidence, the Sector Commander of the squad, Captain Samuel Okenarhe equally explained, “On March 24, 2019, we got information that two persons had AK-47 in Anyiin town. But before we got there, I heard that some of the locals were already lynching one of them.
“On sighting us, they ran away and we arrested the person with the AK-47 and when we interrogated him, he told us that he manufactured the weapons in Tine Unune in Ukum LGA. Same evening, we got another report that the suspect who ran away was seen in his house and we laid ambush and got him that night in Zaki Biam Ukum LGA. He led us to the manufacturing plant. We raided the place and recovered several weapons that are in different stages of completion.”
While being questioned by newsmen, one of the manufacturers stated that he had been in the business for two years. He explained that he had traveled overseas to study and when he returned, his financial struggles led him into the producing guns.
Atti narrated, “I started this arms business when I returned from Europe two years ago. All I had vanished due to witchcraft and I had to start all over again. I had this idea of arms manufacturing and I thought to go into it to get money.
“I studied telecommunication engineering but I had no job. I needed to do something to make money. I learned arms manufacturing in Mauritania. I have so far supplied over 16 arms including pistols which sell for N50,000 each and AK-47 which is sold for between N320,000.00 and N350,000.”
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