Cobbler caught with gun

A cobbler, Nonso Eze, has been allegedly found with a double barrelled gun in Maza Maza area of Lagos and promptly arrested by the police.

At the time of his arrest, 21-year-old Eze was in company with his friends, Ezeani Chukwujekwu and Joseph Lawesi.

But Eze, who is being detained at the Special Anti Robbery Squad in Ikeja, said the weapon does not belong to him.

 “The gun belongs to my friend, Fryo. He is dead now. When I moved to Lagos in July 2012 to live with an uncle of mine in Ajangbadi, I made some friends at Alaba and one of them was Fryo. We were members of the Black Axe. Although I was initiated at Enugu, it is easy to know a fellow cultist anywhere you go because of the way we greet ourselves,” he said.

A few days before Eze’s arrest three weeks ago, Fryo was allegedly killed by a rival cult. He was said to have been shot at a drinking spot by two men who drove by on a motorcycle.

“When I heard that Fryo was dead, I was shocked. Chukwujekwu and Lawesi who were also Black Axe members wanted to flee Alaba immediately. I told them that I knew where Fryo hid his gun and that we should arm ourselves before leaving. I was not certain if all Black Axe boys were in danger and I wanted to ensure that we had some protection before leaving.

“I took my friends to Maza Maza park. Eze’s gun was hidden in an undeveloped parcel of land behind the park. I asked my friends to wait and went alone into the bush to retrieve the gun,” Eze continued.

Unknown to Eze, a peddler of Indian hemp was watching him nearby. A few minutes later, he had emerged with a bag in his possession.

Pleased with his discovery, Eze approached the hemp seller and bought N200 worth of Indian hemp.

“I gave him N1000 and demanded the balance. To my surprise, he refused to give it to me, saying that I had paid him with a N200 currency note.  We argued over this until the disagreement turned into a fight. A crowd gathered and tried to intervene. Even my friends who were waiting for me were attracted to the noise. Then the hemp seller started dragging the bag with me. It was then that I realized the quarrel was a ploy to find out the contents of the bag.

“A taskforce official waded into the matter and insisted that I open the bag. When they all saw the gun in it, I was immediately arrested alongside my friends who were at the scene,” Eze said.

A 2009 graduate of a technical college based in the East, Chukwujekwu denied allegations of a reprisal attack against a rival cult known as Eiye Confraternity. He said, “We were not planning to kill anybody with the gun, neither did we rob anyone with it. As a matter of fact, all the members of the Black Axe in Alaba fled the place after Fryo’s death because no one could tell why he was killed. We all joined the cult because of protection. Back home in Enugu, if you are not in a cult, you can be easily intimidated. I was already planning my return trip back home to Enugu before Eze delayed me with the idea of retrieving Fryo’s gun.”

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Umaru Manko confirmed the arrest. He said, “The three men were arrested at Maza Maza park after the Satellite police division, got a distress call concerning some robbers who were dispossessing motorists of valuables. The DPO led a team to the park and the suspects were duly apprehended and transferred to SARS. They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.”