Niger State police have apprehended two persons for unlawful possession of firearm.
The suspects, Habibu Barde, 30, of Mugunmaiya Village and Sani Hassan, 55, of Sayadi Village in Wushishi the Local Government Area of the state were arrested by policemen from Area Command office Bida while on patrol.
Hassan was said to have told the police that, “I use the gun to protect myself and my family, especially during this time of kidnapping in Niger State. I have to protect myself.
“I purposely collected the gun from my friend (Barde) who gave it to me to protect my family.”
Asked whether he used the gun to rob innocent people, Hassan said, “I am not a thief and I cannot rob anybody; I collected this gun to protect members of my family.”
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects had confessed to committing the crime.
Abubakar said policemen recovered from them one locally-made revolver gun with seven rounds of ammunition.
He said, “We will no longer tolerate unlawful possession of firearms in the state. We warn people to desist or face the wrath of the law.”