‘I did it to make my wife happy’ – Self-confessed gun-runner laments

by Zara Mustapha

bello-suspect

The department of State Security Service in Bauchi has caught a 32-year-old man, Bello Dankogol engaged in illegal trafficking of fire arms over alleged gun-running.

Dankogol was caught on February 28, 2014 in Bauchi with 15 AK 47 rifles carefully concealed in the compartment of the boot of the Navy blue Toyota Solara, with registration number HM 605 EKY, which he drove.

Proior to his arrest, the suspect was reported to have made five successful trips to Gamburu, a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon, where he always got his supply of guns, and transported same to Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Nigerian Tribune reports:

Parading Dankogol, an indigene of Kwalla village in Quan Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, before journalists at the DSS headquarters in Bauchi,the Bauchi State command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kabiru Abdulsamad, stated that the gun runner was arrested on February 28, 2014 in Bauchi on his way to Jos, adding that his arrest was made possible with the support of the Army and Police in the state.

According to him, security intelligence carried out by DSS led to the arrest of Dankogol, saying that, “Dankogol’s arrest followed the intelligence the service had been working on that he specialised in trafficking arms.”

Abdulsamad revealed that the suspect concealed the 15 AK 47 rifles in the boot of the Toyota car he was driving as of the time of his arrest, adding that, “during a search on his vehicle, 15 Ak 47 rifles were concealed in the boot compartment.”

He added that the suspect confessed that he was making his sixth trip of trafficking fire arms when he was arrested, saying that he had between July, 2013 and January, 2014, been able to supply 47 AK47 rifles to members of criminal groups in Jos.

“The whole members of the syndicate had been, clamped down by the Service but for security reasons, the details will not be disclosed now since investigation is on going,” Abdulsamad informed, adding that, “the suspect confessed that he transported such fire arms from Gambaru, a border town between Cameroon and Maiduguri via Bauchi road to Plateau State before his arrest in Bauchi.”

While saying that the crisis being witnessed in parts of the country was not necessarily religious, the PRO called on members of the public to support security agencies in the country with a view to combating criminal activities.

Answering questions from journalists, the suspect stated that he was running errand for some criminal groups, which used to pay him N100,000 for every successful trip he made to bring arms to Jos, declaring that unemployment and the desire to cater for his wife, who he said was yet to bear him a child, drove him to run such errand, which he admitted  was illegal.

“I know it is an illegal business but I engaged in it due to lack of job and to cater for my wife to make her happy. But my wife and my family members are not aware that I am into such illegal business and I know they will be disappointed in me,” he said.

“I regret engaging in this because of what I am currently passing through. I have suffered because of unemployment, so I had no choice than to engage in this shameful and illegal business,” he added.

Asked why he still ran the errand knowing that it was illegal, Dankogol stated that though his wife was childless and they were trusting on God to give them their own children, he had an unflinching love for her, which propelled him to go an extra mile in satisfying and making her happy.

Answering a question on how he was able to beat security checks all this while without being arrested until the trip he was arrested, he stated that he used to conceal his “goods” under the boot and passed easily at check points without being detected.

According to him, “I used to load the fire arms under the boot, so when I get to security check points, they only check the surface of the boot while some will pass me without conducting any check.

“I have a customer that use to supply me with the fire arms in Gambaru. I used to pack my car in a bush, then he will meet me there with the guns and we will load them in my car.”

He said that a lot of activities, including criminal acts, were going on at Gambaru, where normally got his supplies. He noted that this might not be unconnected with the fact that it was a border town.

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