Police parade ex-Oyo NURTW boss for gun possession

“I am a strong PDP member and the Oyo State chapter of ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) political party set me up with this allegation because I refused to join them.”

The police on Tuesday paraded a former transport union leader, Mukaila Lamidi, for illegal gun possession.

The Lagos State Police Command paraded Mr. Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, at the Force Headquarters in Lagos.

The Police Commissioner, Umar Manko, while briefing journalists, stated that operatives attached to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad, SARS, led by Aba Kyari arrested Mr. Lamidi at the Olodo area of Ibadan on May 10, following confession by an illegal arms dealer, Abdulazeez Amao, who was arrested with arms hidden in bags of flour.

Mr. Manko said investigations revealed that Mr. Lamidi bought one AK-47 rifle and one English pistol from Mr. Amao.

The police boss added that after his arrest, the police recovered two magazines and 50 live ammunition from Mr. Lamidi’s Nissan Quest Space bus.

“Sequel to the arrest of a notorious arms dealer, Abdulazeez Amao, who smuggled AK-rifles from Mali and Burkina Faso to Nigeria on March 10th, 2014 and the recovery of ten AK 47 rifles, Abdulazeez Amao confessed that one Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi popularly known as Auxiliary, the immediate past chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers bought one AK-47 rifle and one English pistol from him,” Mr. Manko said.

He said the police are also on the trail of one Tirimisiyu Olowoposi whom Mr. Lamidi allegedly confessed he gave his AK47 rifle to.

Mr. Lamidi, however, denied the allegation that he was using his gun to commit crime. He stated that he bought the gun for self defense after his eldest son was killed by his suspected enemies.

He also added that his arrest was politically motivated.

“I am a strong PDP member; and the Oyo State chapter of ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) political party set me up with this allegation because I refused to join them.

“Yes I am the owner of the pistol. I bought it for N300,000 after gun men invaded my house and killed my first son. I was wounded in that attack but I survived. Since then I decided to get a gun for self defense. I have never used this gun to commit crime. I never gave it out to anybody to use to commit crime.

“I am being set up by the ACN because I told them I cannot abandon my political party because of money they are offering me. They know that I have huge followers I can convince to join the ACN so when I refused to join them, they set me up with this allegation just to punish me,” the suspect said.

The police said the suspect would be charged to court.

The police also paraded nine men for alleged impersonation as soldiers.