A 46-year-old arms dealer, Godwin Chinyere, alleged to have sold most of the firearms, ammunition and rocket launchers used by billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Owuamadike, aka Evans, has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
He was trailed to Asaba Delta State, where he was hiding.
Evans, who was arrested on June 2017 in Magodo, Lagos State, by the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari and currently standing trial at the Lagos State High Courts of Igbosere and Ikeja, was said to have mentioned Chinyere at the time of his arrest, as his major arms supplier.
Chinyere told newsmen on Thursday that he began selling and making firearms in the year 1990 after he dropped out of primary school and his parents couldn’t afford his school fees.
The suspect disclosed that he hails from Obingwa area of Abia State and he learned how to make locally made guns from his boss.
He said: “I learned how to make locally made guns from a village known as Abala and I was one chinaka Nnawakwo and that thought me the job.
“I spent three years learning the job before I started making my own. I have several customers who were gun runners coming to buy guns from me in large quantities.
“I usually sell locally made double barrel guns for the sum of N10,000 and the single barrel was sold for N6,000, while the locally short guns were sold for N10,000.
“One of customers, Samuel Nwakpa, who was coming from the Kaduna State to buy guns from me, was the person who linked me to big arms dealers in Chad and Niger republic.
“They were the people supplied me the five Ak-47 rifles I sold to Evans which he used for his bank robbery and kidnapping activities. I met Evans when he came to my village to treat his bullet wound and his native doctor Eyinaya Hearth, linked him to me.
“I knew he was using it for armed robbery and for kidnapping. Evans paid me the sum of N1.7million for the five Ak-47 rifles after they were supplied to me in Chad.
“The rifles were concealed in bags of fish and I took my commissions and gave the rest of the money to Nwapka, who also supplied the rocket launchers to Evans.
“Before Evans was arrested, I have stopped doing the business and I and turned a new leaf, but I fled and went into hiding when he was arrested because I knew he was going to mention my name to the police.
“I didn’t even know that the police were still looking for me when I came out of hiding and I was arrested. I warned Evans to stop kidnapping when I turned a new leaf but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
