By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A man travelling from Anambra State to Oyo State in search of a person he accused of killing his younger brother has been arrested by the police after a pistol and a cartridge were reportedly recovered from him during a stop-and-search operation.
The suspect was intercepted by operatives of the Safer Highway Patrol along Ife Road in Oyo State while travelling in a commercial bus, with his explanation of the purpose of his journey reportedly raising suspicion among the officers.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Command, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed that the suspect was allegedly on a mission to confront the person he held responsible for his brother’s death when he was apprehended.
During questioning, the suspect reportedly explained that he was working in Benue State when he received information that his younger brother had died at a school in Awka, Anambra State, under circumstances he described as murder.
He further disclosed that barely weeks after losing his brother, his mother also died, leaving him to contend with the double tragedy.
The suspect said he later learnt that the person he believed had killed his brother was residing in Oyo State, a development that prompted him to embark on the journey to locate the individual.
His journey, however, was cut short when highway patrol officers stopped the commercial bus he was travelling in and discovered the firearm and ammunition during a search.
When asked how got the pistol, the suspect reportedly claimed that he bought it from a friend for ₦20,000, although he could not say with certainty whether the person who sold it to him was a hunter.
Further questioning also revealed his membership of the Vikings confraternity, which he admitted to during the police interrogation.
However, when asked whether his late brother belonged to the same group, the suspect said he could not confirm that, explaining that they attended different schools and that he was not with his brother when the incident occurred.
The police have yet to establish the full circumstances surrounding the younger brother’s death or disclose the identity of the person the suspect allegedly travelled to Oyo State to find.
Olayinka said investigations were ongoing to establish the details of the case, including the circumstances surrounding the possession of the firearm and the suspect’s alleged intention to seek out the person he blamed for his brother’s death.
The arrest has raised questions about the circumstances that might have unfolded had the suspect reached his destination, particularly as the police are yet to establish whether the person he was searching for was indeed responsible for his brother’s death.
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