Police ‘uncover illegal firearm factory’ in Benue

The Benue police command says it has uncovered an illegal firearms factory in the state.

Fatai Owoseni, Benue commissioner of police, said on Tuesday that the factory is located at Amyuwogbu-Ibilla in Oju local government area.

Parading some suspects arrested at the factory, Owoseni said the place was discovered in the course of an investigation into an abduction and rape incident.

He gave the names of those arrested as Abi Odah, said to be the owner; Kingsley Abi, his son; and one Thomas Ode.

Items recovered from the arms factory, according to the police, include one G3 rifle without a magazine, four G3 empty shells of ammunition, two expended cartridges, two cut-to-size iron barrels for construction of locally fabricated guns and three wooden butts of guns.

Others are three locally formed Beretta magazines, three skeletons of locally made pistols, two cut-to-size double barrel for construction of locally made pistol, two iron boxes containing blacksmith tools, among other things.