Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, have shot two suspected gunrunners and arrested two others throughout an operation alongside the Bekwarra-Ogoja axis of Cross River State’s Northern Senatorial District.
The 4 suspects had been reportedly tracked from northern Nigeria via Benue State into Cross River State whereas allegedly transporting unlawful firearms.
Two of the suspects had been shot whereas trying to evade arrest, whereas the opposite two had been apprehended.
The operation was aimed toward intercepting the alleged unlawful motion of arms into the state.
Reacting to the event, Governor Bassey Otu, represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Odey, vowed that his administration would deal decisively with anybody concerned in the unlawful motion of arms into the state.
Odey, who spoke through the parade of the suspects and the show of the recovered weapons, warned in opposition to makes an attempt to show Cross River right into a theatre of violence, insisting that his administration wouldn’t compromise the state’s peace and safety.
“The peace of Cross River State is non-negotiable. No political ambition, personal interest or desperation for power is worth the life of any citizen.
“We will not allow anyone, regardless of status, political affiliation or connections, to import violence into our state or turn our communities into killing fields,” he mentioned.
The deputy governor disclosed that preliminary investigations advised that the motion of the weapons is perhaps linked to political actions.
He warned that the firearms may very well be used to intimidate political opponents, threaten communities, disrupt lawful political actions and endanger harmless residents in the event that they fell into the improper arms.
“Arms of this nature, if placed in the wrong hands, could be used to intimidate political opponents, terrorise communities, disrupt lawful political activities and inflict irreversible harm on innocent citizens,” Odey mentioned.
He added that the arrested suspects could be charged to courtroom as investigations continued to determine the supply of the weapons, determine their alleged sponsors and decide their meant recipients.
Otu reiterated that no one was above the legislation, warning that anybody discovered culpable would face the total penalties of the legislation.
