Authorities detain 5 policemen for renting AK-47 rifle to kidnappers in Imo State Nigeria

Five policemen, assigned to Imo State police command are in detention over how one of the AK-47 rifles officially issued for guard duties, ended up in the hands of kidnappers operating in Imo state. Read full post after cut ............. 

The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Musa Katsina, said while four of the five policemen were explaining their involvement in the Criminal act, the Armourer is being tried for negligent conduct. Commissioner Katsina said: “It is true that I ordered the arrest, detention and interrogation of four serving policemen of this command for allegedly renting one of the rifles assigned to them to dare devil kidnappers.” All the police officers, including the armourer, arrested in connection with the sordid finding are now facing orderly room trial. He said: “I have constituted a panel to try them. They have been given the opportunity to explain and anybody found to be involved in the crime would be made to face the full weight of the law.”

The police recovered the weapon from fleeing kidnappers, Katsina said. They ambush Squad gave a hot chase to a gang of kidnappers and in the process, they abandoned the gun in their operational vehicle and ran away. “When the vehicle was thoroughly searched, the AK-47 rifle belonging to the command was recovered. We traced the point of issue to New Owerri police division and that is how the armourer came into the picture,” the CP said. Katsina said policemen are given weapons to protect the citizens and not to use it to terrorize the people they are supposed to protect.