Benue govt official nabbed for alleged possession of illegal firearm

Adah Ameh, a councillor from Benue State’s Okpokwu Local Government Area, has been arrested by soldiers from Operation WhirlStroke.

Security sources said he was caught on Monday for allegedly carrying a handgun without a license.

Ameh, 43, was reportedly arrested by troops on Friday, March 8, in Omusu, a remote hamlet in the local government area of the Benue South Senatorial District.

Soldiers providing security coverage in the hazardous zone during the distribution of relief items in Omusu discovered Mr. Ameh in possession of a weapon.

The councilman, from Effeche in Ojigo Ward, is the Supervisory Councilor for Health in Okpokwu Local Government Area.

The arrest occurred during the distribution of relief items, which was organized by Omale Onyilo, the local government’s caretaker chairperson, in partnership with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency.

Platinum Times said that tensions increased when suspicious movements were observed among the guests.

According to a source who talked with reporters, soldiers observed Mr. Ameh carrying a weapon during the distribution exercise and took immediate steps to disarm him.

“Soldiers observed the councillor carrying a weapon as palliatives were being distributed in the Omusu neighborhood. “They (soldiers) immediately disarmed him,” the source claimed.

During interrogation, Mr. Ameh stated that he obtained the pistol from Michael Ameh Idu, the second-in-command of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards (BSCVGs) at Omusu, for self-defense against Fulani bandits and kidnapping threats.

The suspect claimed that the firearm had been taken from a suspected Fulani bandit in 2022.

Mr. Ameh was arrested and handed over to police in Okpoga, the headquarters of Okpokwu LGA, for further investigation and potential prosecution.

Attempts to gain comments from the police spokesperson in Benue, Sewuese Anene, and the commander of Operation WhirlStroke, Sunday Igbinomwanhia, were unsuccessful as of the time of reporting this article.