The Niger State Police Command, in collaboration with the Department of State Service (DSS) have arraigned a suspect, Usman Abubakar for allegedly possessing two automatic pump-action rifles and four cartridges.
The arrest took place on December 12, 2023, when a joint patrol team along Minna-Paiko road apprehended Abubakar and his brother, who is currently at large.
The defendant was found in possession of the firearms hidden in a bag.
He was brought before the Minna Chief magistrate court by DSS personnel and arraigned by the head of the legal unit of the command, Malam Abdulmalik Sani.
The First Information Report (FIR) presented in court outlined a single charge against Abubakar—illegal possession of a magnum pump-action gun without lawful authority.
The FIR stated, “That you, Usman Abubakar, adult, male, Bororo of Beji town, in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, that on December 12, 2023, at Paiko, within the jurisdiction of this court, committed a criminal act to wit: you had in your possession without lawful authority two (2) magnum pump-action rifles with registration numbers 18-0223 and 18-0254 respectively. The offense is contrary to section 9 (1) and (2) and punishable under section 27 (I) (b) (111) of the Firearms Act Cap F28.”
The head of the DSS Legal unit disclosed that during interrogation, the defendant confessed to purchasing the guns from Toto in Nasarawa State for six hundred thousand naira (N600,000) for self-defense due to the frequent armed banditry attacks on their community.
In his plea for leniency, the defendant requested the court consider his act as a self-defense measure.
Consequently, Presiding Chief Magistrate Hajiya Umma Mohammed convicted him and reserved the sentence until January 17 for judgement.
