Police arrest septuagenarian for selling guns without licence to vigilance group members

Operatives of the Zonal Intervention Squad attached to Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested a 75-year-old man, Olayiwola Araba, for allegedly supplying guns to vigilante groups without license.

The other suspects identified as 45-year-old Olarewaju Kabir, 35-year-old Oladele Jacob and 40-year-old Jide Akinola, were said to have been arrested at different locations in the state.

The operatives who effected the arrest were said to have recovered nine rifles, two pistols and live ammunitions.Confirming the arrest, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police and zonal spokesperson, said the suspect was arrested for selling gun without license.

She said: “We are holding the seller and the buyers for illegal possession of firearms, because the seller has no document to show he has the approval of the police authority to sell guns to the public.

“We are going to conduct a discreet investigation into the business to identify the routes at which it come into the country. The three other suspects who are vigilance group members led to the arrest of the man who sold the gun for them at his residence at Gbagada area of the state.”

Araba, however, denied being in possession of the firearms, but claimed that he got a license from the police to import guns into the country.He said: “My father was into importation of gun into the country before he died. When he died, I took over the business. And I got my own license in 1974 to bring firearms into the country.

“Why the police refused to renew the license for our association was because of the money they asked us to pay. We felt the money was outrageous and we told them, if they did not reduce it, we are not going to pay. Even without the payment, we still bring in guns from abroad into the country because our license has not expired. I have been selling guns to vigilantes for years.”