How we received ammunition from Amosun, by Ogun police command

The Ogun State Police Command has explained the circumstances that led to the handover of some arms and ammunition to the command by former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun a day before leaving office.

It said an online medium had reported that Amosun imported and stored a large cache of arms and ammunition at the Isale-Igbein, Abeokuta Government House without passing through due process.

The report alleged that among the items Amosun handed over to the command were 1,000 AK47 riffles and four million ammunition.

But reacting to the claim, the command said in a statement yesterday that it did not receive a single AK47 riffle from Amosun.

Also, Amosun had issued a public statement, explaining that his administration passed through all legal channels to import the arms.

Command’s Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi in a statement in Abeokuta noted: “On May 28, 2019, former Governor Amosun invited the Commissioner of Police (CP), Bashir Makama to take delivery of some ammunition and other items, which have been in the state government’s armoury.”

He said the command received one armoured personnel carrier (APC) vehicle, 1,440,420 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 271 units of armoured vests and three ballistic helmets.

He also explained that immediately the command took delivery of the items, the Force Headquarters was notified through an official signal, as it was the norm to report such incidents.

“Not one AK 47 riffle was among the items Amosun handed over to the command. The 1,000 riffles were those purchased by the state government and handed over to the command in 2012. The former governor only made reference to it during his hand over on May 28, 2019.

“It is, therefore, surprising to read from Premium Times that 1,000 AK47 riffles were handed over to the police in addition to four million rounds of ammunitions.

“The media outfit also accused the command and Amosun of engaging in a conspiracy of silence whereas it was the writer who, rather than wait for response to his enquiries, rushed to the press in violation of journalism ethics,” the statement reads.

The command also noted that in as much as it was not willing to join issues with Premium Times, it was necessary to always verify information before publication, as that was the standard practice worldwide.