Shehu Taminu Muhammed when he was caught with the gun

Richard Elesho

A Magistrate Court sitting in Lokoja has sentenced Shehu Tenimu Mohammed, an ND II student of the Department of Public Administration, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja to eight years  imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and unlawful association.

Delivering his Judgement, the Magistrate convicted the suspect on the three count charges, having pleaded guilty to the offenses. He was also fined the sum of eight thousand Naira.

Barr. Samuel Ikutanwa, the prosecuting counsel at the resumed hearing had demanded for the charges to be read to the hearing of the accused person, who instantly pleaded guilty to committing the offenses of unlawful association, possession of Firearm and being a member of a cult group.

It would be recalled that the security operatives of Kogi State Polytechnic had arrested Shehu Tenimu Mohammed for being in possession of a locally fabricated revolver pistol.

Shehu Tenimu Mohammed with Matriculation Number 2018/ND/PAD/170 was in addition to the illegal possession of the pistol, also caught carrying five rounds of live ammunition while making his way through the main entrance of the Polytechnic on Friday, 9th April, 2021.

The arrest of Mohammed was made possible by the strong security network put in place to halt attempt to breach the ban on End-of- Examination Celebration by the Management of the Institution.

The ban it would be recalled came into force following intelligence report that some suspected cultists planned invading the campus with ammunitions to avenge their colleague who was killed after the end of examination in 2019

Management under the proactive leadership of Dr S.O. Usman had beefed up security on the campus, including daily routine check at the Polytechnic entrance and the premises which led to the arrest of the culprit.