A cobbler has been held by Anti-robbery policemen in Ogun, over the alleged possession of five locally made shot guns, with three life cartridges kept inside radio speakers in his house at Itunla, Shagamu, in the state.
Mr. Dimeji Kushimo, 32, is however claiming that he did not know anything about how the weapons got into his room and hid in the speakers of his radio. He had however fingered his friend, Ojo, whom he claimed had been squatting with him for some time, as the likely owner of the guns.
The guns were said to have been found after Kushimo’s landlord issued him a quit notice. On the day that Kushimo wanted to move, he had come with a van and some men who would assist him to move his furniture. One of the men noticed the guns and alerted the vigilance group in the area.
Kushimo, a father of three, told the Nigerian Compass that he was arrested by vigilance group for a crime he did not commit. According to him, it was this group that later handed him over to the police.
The suspect said: “I am a shoemaker. I have been learning shoemaking for the past four years. After I finished learning the trade and it was time to mark my freedom, there was no money. I went to Ogijo in Ikorodu, in search of a job. But when I got there, there was no work; I decided to work as a conductor. After a while, I left the conductor work to become a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). My work is to issue tickets to commercial bus drivers.”
He explained that after working with NURTW and making a little money, he went to Shagamu and rented an apartment.
Kushimo later met Ojo, while working as a ticket officer. A friendship soon blossomed. As the friendship continued to grow, Ojo told Kushimo that he had accommodation problem. Without giving the matter a second thought, Kushimo told his friend to move in with him.
He said: “I must tell you the truth, I liked Ojo. He is my friend at the Motor Park, in Ikorodu. I like him because, whenever I am in need of girls, he used to supply me with girls. Sometimes the girls would be many, that I had had to choose. I allowed him to live in my apartment free of charge. I only go home during the weekends, which was why I handed him the key to my room.”
Kushimo may like Ojo, but his neighbours did not. They complained bitterly to the landlord, claiming that Ojo used to bring too many girls to the compound and played loud music, thus disturbing the peace of the neighbours.
“I was summoned by the landlord over the disturbance of my friend. The landlord asked me to vacate the apartment,” said Kushimo. “I pleaded with the landlord to pardon me because I had no other place to go. But the man still maintained that I should move out. I decided to take my belongings to my mother’s house. The truth was that I did not have enough money to rent another apartment.”
Immediately he made up his mind to move out, Kushimo went to Shagamu. He went to the house on that fateful day to pack his belongings, but the neighbours insisted that he should not yet move his furniture until the landlord comes. Kushimo did not see the sense in waiting and started arguing with them.
While the altercation was going on, some of the neighbours who allegedly had been suspecting Kushimo of nefarious activities went to call a vigilance group in the area. They wanted the group to check Kushimo’s property.”
In the process, the weapons stashed in the speaker were found and the suspect was promptly arrested by the vigilante and handed over to the Police.
“While packing my belongings out of my room, I saw the five locally made pistols. They were stashed in my radio speakers. I immediately attempted to rush back into the room to drop the speaker, but the driver of the van that came with me, to move my things, had already seen them. He asked me if I was moving them to my new apartment. He was the one that made the vigilance group to know that those guns were there! He caused my arrest.
“I swear to God, I did not know anything about those guns! I strongly believe they belong to Ojo. I have told the police this. I don’t even know where Ojo lives. I only know that he squatted with me. Police have tried to call his phone number, but it was not going. Ojo has simply disappeared. My mother is sad over my situation and I’m not happy about it myself, but what can I do?”
The Police spokesman, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, claimed that Kushimo has a gang, which would soon be smashed.
According to him, as soon as they were arrested, they would all be charged to court.
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