Policeman arrested for stealing, selling missing police pistols to cultist

Emotion ran high at the Kwara State Police Command weekend, after a 38-year-old Police Traffic Officer , Haruna Yusuf, 

disclosed how he picked a police service pistol from a mosque and sold it to  members of a cult group in Kwara State.

The missing pistol led to the dismissal of former Station Officer in charge of Omu-Aran division , Ehigimetor Ileso, who 

booked for it but could not return it to the armoury.

Sadly, the dismissal led to his demise one year later.

Information at Vanguard’s disposal revealed that Sergeant  Yusuf,  who is attached to the Police Traffic unit, met his 

waterloo, following the arrest of some suspected cultists by operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team.

The suspected cultists: Tajudeen Olalekan Hammed ,Chukwudi Eze ,Alebo Elijah ,Alebo Isreal , Abimbola Olaonipekun and 

Olarinde Abiodun , who left   Kwara State to unleash mayhem on members of rival confraternity in Osun State .

Some weapons which included the police pistol, were recovered from them.

During investigation, one of the suspects, Eze, a Disk Jogger, revealed that he bought the weapons from the policeman.

According to 33-year-old Eze who hails from Enugu State, ”  Aside being a DJ, I also  sell phone accessories at Traffic 

Junction .I bought a police pistol and a locally made gin   from the police officer for self – defence because of the 

nature of my work .  Later ,I discovered that I could not use the  police pistol ,I sold the two guns  to  “Rector”  ,who 

is a student of Kwara State Polytechnic “.

On his part, the policeman, Haruna, said, ” I joined the police as a Constable in 2008  .I am from Benue State but I have 

been serving in Kwara State ,since I was enlisted .I was first posted to Omu Aran Division and later transferred to other 

divisions in Kwara bit I am now back in Omu Aran.”

 ” I didn’t steal the pistol. .I don’t know what came over  me .when I saw  it  at the mosque “

” I can only say that I am sorry .Out of the two arms that I sold to him ,one belonged to  the Omu Aran Divisional Police 

Station ,while the other one was locally-made .That  one that belonged to the division, was what I found outside  the 

mosque behind the police station.”

” I didn’t know that it belonged to the SO It was about three years ago . I sold it to the DJ for N47,000 while I sold the 

locally made to him for N25,000.

“When I picked the gun ,it didn’t occur to me to take it to the station .

” Before God and man,I have never been involved in any case of stealing  before  The SO is late .now .When  I heard that 

the division was looking for the gun .I was afraid to recover it from the DJ and hand it over to the armourer and I was 

not at the division when the Station Officer was being tried for the missing pistol”.

The Osun State Commissioner of Police,  ,Wale Olokode, who  confirmed the arrest of the police Sergeant and suspected cult 

members , revealed that exhibits recovered from the gang included” one  police Beretta  pistol ,one  locally made revolver 

pistol, two  locally fabricated pistol, one local cut- to -size short gun , 11 live cartridges ,five knives ,three battle 

axes and one  cutlass “. Vanguardgnr