Lawmaker arrested for arming suspects with pump-action guns

A member of the state House of Assembly, Dipo Olorunrinu, has been arrested for alleged unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.

The lawmaker was apprehended after poluce recobered two guns from Wale Oye and Ganiyu Ajiboluwa who allegedly confessed to have collected the arms from Olorunrinu.

Lagos Police Public Relations Officer CSP Chike Oti, in a statement on Saturday, said the firearms were intercepted in FESTAC area by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police X-Squad.

According to hm, the team was on patrol to mop up illegal firearms following the expiration of the licence given to individuals in possession of guns and the directive to the affected persons to surrender them to the police.
“The suspects, namely Wale Oye, 37; and Ganiyu Ajiboluwa, 47, were arrested on July 12, 2018 at about 1745hrs by a team of the Inspector-General of Police X-Squad operatives on patrol along the FESTAC Extension, by Apple Junction, Amuwo Odofin,” ge said in the statement.

The PPRO identified the arms recovered from the suspects as a single-barrelled Mossverg pump-action rifle with identification number B/NO D512429; one Zirve Magnum pump-action rifle with number B/NO 45639, and two live cartridges.

“However, during interrogation, the suspects claimed the guns were given to them by one Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu, 47, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Lagos State House of Assembly, to escort him to a political rally.

“The honourable member was arrested and he admitted ownership of the guns. To further prove that the weapons are his, he produced expired licences dated 2015 and 2016 respectively.
“He, however, could not justify his refusal to surrender the guns during the window period offered by the IG in the last nationwide mop-up of illegal firearms and ammunition exercise,” the statement added.

Oti said the command would make further findings on the case known to the public as investigation continues.

He noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, promised to rid the state of illegal and prohibited firearms as a special task force would soon embark on a house-to-house search for illicit guns.