Police: We discovered gun during building search
NDC supporter: We found it on political thug
By Egufe Yafugborhi, Warri
ASABA — Controversy has trailed the recovery of an AK-47 rifle during the political tension that nearly degenerated into a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the National Democratic Coalition, NDC, in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State
The Delta State Police Command said its operatives recovered the rifle during an operation to rescue a man, identified as Collins Egbara, from a mob near an old building in Orumarho community, Effurun
However, an NDC supporter, Comrade Umukoro Efemena, who said he witnessed the incident, disputed the police account, insisting that youths at the scene recovered the rifle from Egbara, whom they accused of being a political thug, before handing him and the weapon over to the police
In a statement on Monday, the Command’s spokesman, SP Edafe Bright, said the police had received intelligence ahead of the September 18 rally about the likelihood of a clash between APC and NDC supporters
Edafe said efforts to contact the rally organisers initially failed, but the Command received written notifications from both groups on September 17, less than 10 hours before the planned rally at Angle Park, Warri
He said the groups were advised against using the proposed venue for their rally and subsequently went their separate ways
According to him, the Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale, ordered the deployment of personnel to the proposed venue from 5am on September 18 to prevent any breakdown of law and order
He added that heightened tension during the rally prompted additional deployment of patrol teams under the “Operation Show of Force”, which eventually brought the situation under control
On the rifle, Edafe said police patrol teams at about 11:30am noticed a group of youths mobbing Egbara near an old building in Orumarho community
He said Egbara was beaten severely before police officers rescued him from the mob and took him for medical treatment
Edafe said Egbara would be questioned when he became stable, adding that the investigation would determine his connection, if any, with the rifle
He also dismissed reports that the weapon was handed over to the police by individuals at the scene
“Reports that the gun was handed over to the Police by some persons are false, as the ownership, possession and recovery of the gun is currently subject to an ongoing investigation,” he said
The police spokesman added that if the suspect was found to be connected to the rifle, he would be charged to court
However, Efemena, who identified himself as an Obi/Kwankwaso supporter, gave a different account of the recovery
“We delivered the AK-47 to SP Harry Arrey of the Quick Response Squad in Warri We found it on the thug, disarmed him and handed it over. The police did not discover it in any building search,” he said.
Efemena called on the police to clarify how the rifle was recovered, saying, “Let them tell the public the truth about how the gun was recovered”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale, meanwhile, assured that the Command would not compromise the investigation, amid allegations circulating on social media
He urged political actors to notify the police promptly ahead of political rallies to enable adequate security arrangements