Blacksmith Who make and Sells Guns For N30,000 to Criminals Arrested by Police

A 65-year-old blacksmith, Najim Bakare, who has been arrested by the Lagos State Police command, says he makes guns and sells them for N30,000 each.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Bakare and three others were arrested for allegedly indulging in cult activities in the Ajah area of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that Bakare allegedly sold a gun to a gang which the police have now recovered.

The suspect, however, told PUNCH Metro that he sold the guns because he was poor and needed to make ends meet.

Apart from Bakare, the other suspects, who allegedly fomented trouble in the Mobil Road area of Ajah, are Adewale Odusote, Tairu Idris and Dare Ayetoba.

Our correspondent learnt that 22-year-old Odusote, who hails from Epe, Lagos, was the first to be apprehended by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad after a tip-off. He was reportedly heading to deliver the gun to gang members in a hideout when he was arrested.

It was learnt that after the police nabbed the gang, they took operatives to Bakare’s house.

PUNCH Metro gathered that apart from the double-barrelled shotgun, the police had recovered one live cartridge and one jack knife from the gang.

Bakare, who hails from the Ibeju-Lekki area, said he sold the gun to the gang for N30, 000 and used the money to meet some domestic needs.

The father of five added that the gang members lied to him that they were security men and they needed protection.

He said, “I am a blacksmith. I make hoes, cutlasses and other metal appliances. I also make guns. It is true that I sold the gun to the gang. I sell guns because I need to meet family demands. I sold it to the boys for N30, 000.

“They did not tell me they were cultists. They said they were security men and they needed protection. That was why I sold the gun to them.”

Odusote, who confessed to being a member of the Aye cult, said there were more than 50 persons that were initiated in March 2012 when he joined.

He said, “I dropped out of secondary school in 2012, and became an apprentice barber. It was a friend, Lukman, who introduced me to the cult. We were initiated in a bush in Epe around March that year.

“More than 50 of us were taken to the bush. It was at about 9.30pm. They beat us inside the bush. They were seven masters, and they flogged us with whips. We also drank some hard drinks. That was all.”

Idris, 25, from Ajegunle who is married with two children, said he joined the cult to protect himself from attacks, adding that his wife also knew he was a cultist.

He said, “We do not see any big deal in cultism. We joined to protect our area and ourselves because hoodlums were always invading the Alaguntan area where I stayed.”

Our correspondent learnt that a gang member, identified only as Asunmo, was still at large.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the arrests, adding that investigations were ongoing.





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