Delta Varsity Student Arrested With Locally-made Pistol

A 19-year-old undergraduate of the Dennis Osadebey University has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for allegedly being in possession of a locally fabricated Beretta pistol.

The suspect, 200-level student of Criminology and Security Studies whose identity was withheld, was apprehended  along with two others during a stop-and-search operation at Interbau Roundabout in Asaba, the state capital.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, said the firearm was concealed inside a bag in a tricycle.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the student allegedly bought the weapon in Onitsha, Anambra State, for N350,000.

The suspect reportedly told police investigators that the gun was acquired for self-protection following threats and provocation from a youth leader in his community allegedly involved in the proscribed “Deve” cult activities.

Edafe disclosed that a short axe was also recovered from the residence of the principal suspect, who was allegedly preparing for initiation into the Vikings Confraternity.

In a related development, operatives of the Anti-Vice Squad, working with members of the Ughelli Vigilante Group, arrested two suspected armed robbers linked to a string of robberies in Ughelli and surrounding communities.

One of the suspects, Moses Francis, 29, was picked up during a raid in the Okorodafe area of Ughelli and reportedly led operatives to the arrest of another suspect, Cosmos Erueseke, 26.

The police spokesperson said both suspects remain in custody while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang.