Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have uncovered how the pistol of late Station Officer, Ehigimetor Ileso, was stolen by a Police Sergeant, Haruna Yusuff, at Omu Aran Divisional Police Station in Kwara State.
Tribune Online reports that after the pistol got missing in 2019, late Ileso was arrested tried and dismissed from service, a development that led to his death a year after.
Yusuff, who until his arrest was still serving at the same station confessed how he sold the stolen gun and another to members of the Aiye Confraternity in the state.
Yusuff claimed not to know what came over him when he stole the pistol.
The IRT operatives led by DCP Olatunji Disu were working to forestall a plan by suspected cult members to foment trouble in Osun State when one of their leaders Olalekan Tajudeen popularly known as Rector was arrested with the missing police pistol.
Further investigations by the police led to the arrest of Yusuff after the cult members confessed that he sold some of their arms to them.
Yusuff confessed that “I joined the police as a constable in 2008. I am from Benue State but I have been serving in Kwara State since I was enlisted. I was first posted to Omu Aran Division and later transferred to other divisions in Kwara but I am now back in Omu Aran.
“I can only say that I am sorry. Out of the two arms that I sold to him, one belonged to the Omu Aran Divisional Police Station while the other one was locally-made. That one that belonged to the division, I saw it outside of the mosque behind the police station.”
He also added that “I didn’t know that it belonged to the SO It was about three years ago. I got the locally-made pistol in Benue State. The person who sold it to me is dead now. We went for a burial and he was talking about selling it and somebody directed him to me. I bargained with him and bought it from him.
“When I picked the gun, it didn’t occur to me to take it to the station despite the fact that I know that it was not valuable to me. I don’t know what actually came over me. I mistakenly sold the gun.”
The policeman also stated that “before God and man, I have never been involved in any selling or stealing gun before. The SO is late now. Later, I heard that the division was looking for the gun. I was afraid to recover it and hand it over to the armourer.”
He added that “I sold the guns to a Disk Jocker (DJ), Chukwudi Eze in my area. He has a shop around the Traffic Junction in Omu Aran where I serve. I didn’t know that he was a cult member. I sold the locally-made pistol to him at N25,000 and the English pistol at N47,000.
On how he felt when the late SO was being tried for the missing pistol, the suspect said “before God and man, the trial process was going on. I was not at the division. I was not aware. I only knew that he was arrested. I feel very sorry.”
33-year-old Eze who hails from Enugu State stated that “I am a DJ and I also sell phone accessories at Traffic Junction. I bought the guns from the police officer for self-defence because of the nature of my work.”
He added that “I bought the two guns from him and later, I discovered that I could not use that police pistol. I passed the two to “Rector” who is a student of Kwara State Polytechnic. I didn’t want to lose my money and somebody connected Rector to me.”
He also said that “I know Sergeant Haruna at the Traffic Junction where my shop is. He is always there to control traffic. I have never used the gun for any operation. I just bought it for self-defence.”
A police source, however, said that Eze is a strong member of the Aiye Confraternity in Omu Aran despite the fact that he is not a student of any higher institution of learning in the state.
Olalekan popularly known as Rector is alleged to be one of the leaders of Aiye Confraternity in Kwara State Polytechnic. He said he bought the arms found in his possession for the “temple”, the code name for the assembly of Aiye members.
The Sagamu, Ogun State-born suspect confessed to being a cult member and claimed to have been initiated into the cult by a former student of the school who had promised to help him.
23-year-old Rector who claimed to be a Higher National Diploma (HND 2) Business Administration student said “I am a cult member. I am a member of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, popularly known as Aiye Confraternity. I am the Foreman for Aiye in Kwara Polytechnic. I have not killed anyone in my life. We bought the guns for the Temple for self-defence. Since we bought it, we have not fought with any group.
“I have been a member since 2016. I was introduced to the cult group by a senior schoolmate, David. He is no more in Nigeria now. I didn’t know him before. He just walked up to me and said that he wanted to help me. That was how I was initiated.”
Exhibits recovered from the gang include one police Baretta pistol, one locally-made revolver pistol, two locally-fabricated pistols, one local cut-to-size short gun, 11 live cartridges, five knives, three battle axes and one cutlass.
The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, confirmed the arrest of the Police Sergeant and the cult members to newsmen.
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