The Anambra State Police Command has recorded another major breakthrough in its war against crime following the arrest of a 65-year-old man, Akpan Godwin, who was caught with a staggering cache of live ammunition in Onitsha.
Confirming the arrest in a statement on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad attached to Akwuzu intercepted Godwin on Friday at Nkpor, near the bustling commercial hub of Onitsha.
> “Police operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested one Akpan Godwin, aged 65, in possession of 1,100 rounds of live ammunition,” Ikenga disclosed.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to being a key player in the illegal sale of ammunition, revealing links to a wider underground network supplying arms to criminal elements across the state.
Ikenga assured that detectives have intensified efforts to track down Godwin’s collaborators and dismantle the syndicate fueling the illegal arms trade.
> “The manhunt is ongoing to apprehend all his accomplices and shut down the network,” he added.
The arrest underscores the worsening proliferation of small arms and ammunition in Anambra—a menace that has fueled armed robbery, kidnapping, cult violence, and deadly attacks by non-state actors.
In recent months, police in the state have made significant gains against organized crime. Earlier this August, four suspects were arrested in Onitsha and Obosi during separate operations, with locally-made weapons and stolen electrical equipment recovered. Just last Friday, police announced the recovery of vandalized high-tension cables and transformer parts, alongside the arrest of four suspects. One suspect was fatally wounded while attempting to flee.
Back in July, operatives also intercepted a deadly syndicate in Ihiala suspected of supplying firearms to violent gangs across the South-East. Items recovered then included rifles, cartridges, and even explosives, highlighting the dangerous scale of the illegal trade.
Security analysts warn that the thriving black market for arms poses a grave danger to the region’s stability. They blame porous borders, weak community policing, and high demand from violent gangs as enablers of the illicit trade.
Police Assures Residents
The Anambra State Police Command has reiterated its commitment to protecting residents through intelligence-led operations, while calling on communities to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities.
The arrest of Akpan Godwin, a man old enough to be a grandfather, yet allegedly neck-deep in arms trafficking, serves as a stark reminder of the deeply entrenched networks law enforcement agencies are battling to crush.
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