By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has recovered a six-round English-made pistol from two motorcyclists during a stop-and-search operation in Nnewi North Local Government Area of the state.
The recovery was made on the evening of September 26, 2026, when operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Nnewi Sector, and the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 54, conducting visibility patrol within Nnewi metropolis, stopped two men riding a Tiger 150 motorcycle without a registration number.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Sunday, the two men, identified as 33-year-old Ekwulugo Chiemierie Joseph and 29-year-old Enyiobi Geoffrey Somtochukwu, were subjected to a search during the operation.
Ikenga said the search led to the recovery of the firearm, after which the two suspects were immediately taken into police custody.
He said the suspects were currently assisting the police with the ongoing investigation as detectives work to establish how they came to be in possession of the firearm.
The police spokesman said investigators were also working to determine where the pistol was obtained from, what it was intended to be used for and whether there were other circumstances or persons linked to its possession.
He added that the Command was looking into other leads that could assist the investigation and establish the full circumstances surrounding the recovery.
The development is coming barely a week after the Command announced the arrest of another suspect, identified as Okechukwu Igwegbe, in Nnewi over alleged unlawful possession of a firearm and the recovery of a pump-action gun and 11 live cartridges from him in Uruagu, Nnewi.
Commenting on the latest recovery, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, said the operation demonstrated the importance of police visibility and coordinated stop-and-search activities in the fight against crime.
According to a statement by Ikenga, the Commissioner said such operations formed part of the Command’s intelligence-led and community-based policing strategy, particularly in identifying and disrupting the movement of firearms and other dangerous weapons that could be used in the commission of violent crimes.
Ama assured residents of Nnewi and other parts of Anambra that the Command would continue to sustain proactive patrols, intelligence-led operations and strategic stop-and-search activities across the state.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly provide the police with credible information concerning suspicious persons, movements or activities within their communities.
The Commissioner appreciated the continued support and cooperation of Ndi Anambra, stressing the importance of public cooperation in the efforts to keep the state safe.
The latest suspects, however, remain under investigation, while the police said efforts are ongoing to establish the source and intended use of the recovered firearm.
