The Nigeria Police Force has arrested four suspected members of a gun-running syndicate linked to a controversial extrajudicial killing in Delta State.
The arrests followed weeks of intelligence-driven operations spanning Bayelsa and Imo states. The investigation was originally triggered by the recovery of a Beretta pistol at a transport park in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, on May 1.
Delta State Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, announced the breakthrough during a press briefing at the state headquarters in Asaba. He confirmed that the initial recovery of the firearm ultimately led to the high-profile killing of a suspect, Oghenemine (Mene) Ogidi. The incident drew widespread public outrage after a video surfaced online showing a police officer shooting the detained suspect at close range.
In response to the public outcry, the police dismissed Assistant Superintendent of Police Nuhu Usman, the officer captured in the viral video. Commissioner Oyeniyi revealed that Usman and other implicated accomplices have been returned to Delta State to face justice. The case file has already been forwarded to the Attorney-General to begin formal prosecution.
The crackdown on the supply chain began on May 4 with the arrest of the first suspect, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, in Bayelsa State. Investigators discovered that Chukwuemeka had used his roommate’s phone to secretly negotiate the firearm purchase. He confessed to buying the Beretta pistol for ₦290,000 and reselling it for ₦380,000 to a middleman named Desmond.
According to the police, Desmond, who remains at large, was the logistical link to the local operation. He allegedly arranged for the pistol to be smuggled to the Effurun transport park, where the late Mr. Ogidi was scheduled to collect it. Ogidi’s role was to transport the weapon to its final destination in Sapele before he was intercepted by law enforcement.
The investigation subsequently shifted to Imo State, where operatives tracked down and arrested a second suspect, Amadi Princewill, on May 15. During interrogation, Princewill admitted to his involvement and confessed that he had purchased the weapon for ₦200,000. His statement provided the breakthrough needed to arrest his supplier, Amadi Felix Chibuike, in Owerri the following day.
Commissioner Oyeniyi stated that the arrested suspects have been identified as members of the Black Axe confraternity and will be formally charged in court as soon as investigations are complete. He emphasized that the police are still actively pursuing Desmond and other fleeing members of the syndicate to ensure the entire network is dismantled.
