The security operatives of Kogi State Polytechnic have arrested one Shehu Tenimu Mohammed, an ND II student of the Department of Public Administration of the institution for being in possession of a locally fabricated pistol while making his way into the campus.
The Head, Public Relations and Protocol Unit of the institution, Mrs Uredo Omale, in a press statement issued, on Friday, said the student with Matriculation Number 2018/ND/PAD/170 was, in addition to the illegal possession of the pistol, also carrying five rounds of live ammunition while making his way through the main entrance of the Polytechnic, on Friday.
She stated that the arrest of the student was made possible by the strong security network put in place to halt any attempt to breach the ban on End-of-Examination Celebration.
The ban was enacted in view of an intelligence report that some suspected cultists would be coming to the campus with ammunitions to avenge their colleague who was killed after the end of examination in 2019
The statement also added that the management under the proactive leadership of Dr Salisu Usman beefed up security on campus, including daily routine check at the Polytechnic entrance and the premises.
“Ever at alert, the security operatives of the institution had on Thursday, April 8th, 2021, impounded a Tricycle, (Keke NAPEP) which apparently was intended as a decoy for hiding and releasing gunshots outside the school gate.
Similarly, the security operatives also arrested a non-student suspected to be a hired machinery with a charm made “African-bullet proof” on the campus on April 7th,2021. The suspect who has since been handed over to the law enforcement agency claimed that he came to the campus to celebrate the end of the examination with his sister.
It was the continuation of the security check at the gate that led to the arrest of Shehu Tenimu Mohammed who was coming to the campus purportedly to write his ND II final examination, on Friday, April 9th, 2021.
Mohammed was stopped by the ‘stop and search’ officer and was asked to hand over his belongings.
He took to his heels when he realised he would be caught with live ammunition, but it was too late for him
He has since been handed over to the appropriate law enforcement agency for further interrogation and investigation.
Meanwhile, the Rector, Dr Salisu Ogbo Usman, has assured members of staff, students and the general public that no stone would be left unturned in the efforts to ensure that sanity is restored on the campus to make the atmosphere conducive for teaching and learning.
The Rector who commended the security unit of the institution for a yeoman’s job, however, appealed to members of the Polytechnic community to always be on the side of the law.