Police personnel in Bauchi have arrested a 300-level student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Atim Emmanuel, 23, in possession of a revolver pistol and cartridge illegally.
WikkiTimes reports that ATBU Senate had ordered the immediate closure of the university following a protest by students after suspected armed robbers stabbed a 500-level Geology student of the university to death early this month.
A police report, later, claimed that the final-year Geology student died in an attempt to recover a snatched bag belonging to his girlfriend from the armed robbers.
Prompt security response prevented protesting students in two campuses of the university – Yelwa and Gubi – from blocking major highways and possibly causing a breakdown in public order.
SP Ahmed Muhammed Wakil, spokesperson of Bauchi Police Command, confirmed the arrest in a statement made available to reporters in Bauchi.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed that he got the firearm from one Zadog who leased it to him for two academic semesters at the rate of N12,000.
“He further stated that he acquired the firearm for his protection and security from criminals.
“The Commissioner of Police Bauchi State has directed that the suspect be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a discreet investigation to unravel more circumstances behind his motives for acquiring the firearm and to determine whether he has killed anyone with it after which he will be charged to court upon completion of a discreet investigation,” the statement read in parts.
WikkiTimes recalls that the police, the security agency responsible for issuing gun licences in Nigeria, had stopped issuance of gun licences to applicants following rising insecurity in the country.
