A clandestine gun production facility was unearthed by the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in the Onicha Olona community situated within the Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, the Commander of the 63 Brigade, disclosed this information while inspecting the illegal arms factory site, revealing that the facility has the capacity to manufacture ten guns per week.
He said, “Eight suspects involved in the family business including the mastermind of the operation, his father, mother, and sister were among those arrested at the factory.
“The arms factory located in a forest has a surveillance post, a generating set connected from a remote location, an oven for melting of iron, and a cache of arms and ammunition.
“We have recovered items for the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices IEDs including shrapnels, detonators, and the container”
The army commander said the activities of the suspects were a major contributor to insecurity in the region and the country.
“In this axis, it is only IPOB and Eastern security networks that use improvised explosive devices and even drones.
“A normal AK-47 magazine carries 30 rounds, but this man is modifying an AK-47 magazine to carry 60 rounds.
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“Anybody that is involved in an act of insurgency that is against the peace and stability of Nigeria, we will get to you,” he added.
Emmanuel Eboka, the 22-year-old primary suspect, confessed to facilitating the rental of firearms to individuals involved in criminal activities, accepting predetermined fees as compensation.
In a notable operation conducted last September, the Delta State Police Command rescued four individuals who had been abducted in the forests of Orerokpe community, situated in the Okpe Local Government Area.
Africa Today News, New York, learned that the rescue operation was initiated following a distress call made to the Orerokpe Divisional Police on September 11, 2023, at about 0400hrs. The call reported that four unnamed individuals, residents of the community, had been abducted while passing through the Orerokpe Bridge along the Abraka-Eku Expressway. The abductors demanded a ransom of N10 million.