Ogun State Police Commissioner (CP) Basir Makama on Tuesday evening denied receiving 1,000 AK47 rifles and four million ammunition from former Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Makama explained that physical counting of the ammunition showed there were “one million, four hundred thousand and some fractions,” a variation from the four million Amosun had told him while he was being disarmed.
He also explained that checks into police records revealed that the said weapons were handed over to the force in 2012, insisting that he didn’t see any weapon during the disarming process.
Online news site Premium Times had reported that the former Governor returned to the Police Commissioner four million bullets, 1,000 AK47 rifles, 1,000 bulletproof vests and one armoured personnel carrier (APC) he allegedly stockpiled at the Oke Mosan Government House for an extended period of time.
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According to the report, Amosun had allegedly confessed to CP Makama on the presence of the firearms and ammunition on May 28, a day before he handed over power to his successor Dapo Abiodun.
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The story generated massive outcry with social media users demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of Amosun, now a Senator representing Ogun Central district at the National Assembly.
Reacting to the story, CP Makama told The Nation that he had a duty to disarm the governor at the end of his tenure which he executed.
He said: “I did not see any weapon. All he gave to the police the day he was disarmed are ammunition, ballistic helmet and body armour. I am new in the state, this is somebody who has been governor for eight years.
“I came in and one day when he was about going, he said CP, I have some materials I want to handover to you. Even if he didn’t buy them for the police or didn’t hand them over, I have a responsibility to disarm him and that was what I did.
“The ammunition was not up to four million as alleged. The former Governor said four million but when we counted, we found out it was one million, four hundred and a little fraction.
“I found out the 1,000 AK47 rifles were bought for them (police) in 2012. He had given them in 2012.
That is the record I have.”
Findings by our Correspondent revealed that was the practice by state governments who have expended resources in empowering the police.
It was gathered that an approval was granted from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to allow states expanding their resources to empower the police have standard armoury at the Government House.
By this practice, the state, it was gathered will then supervise the use of the gadgets acquired with their resources to prevent same from being moved to other parts of the country following orders from the Inspector General of Police (IG) to CPs.
“It is not like the governor was keeping these weapons and ammunition for himself. What happened is that because of the lack of capacity and equipment the police had suffered in the past, those state governors that boost the police capability were allowed to have standard armoury in their government houses.
“This was done to ensure that the state benefits from the gadgets it expended money on. The truth is that if those weapons are left under the police armoury, the IG can call at anytime to request deployment to another area and no CP will disobey that order,” said a very senior policeman who cannot be named.
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