Owonikoko John, a 36-year-old Unit Commandant of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), has been arrested in Ogun state over his alleged involvement in the supply of arms and robberies.
The Ogun police command said John was the mastermind of several nefarious crimes at Obalende and other areas of the state.
It was learnt that John was arrested along the Sagamu-Ijebu- Ode-Benin highway during an operation led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Omosanyi Adeniyi, the Area Commander, Ijebu-Ode.
Upon his arrest, John was found in possession of a gun. In his confessional statement, he allegedly fingered an Inspector of Police, identified as Ola, as the supplier of the firearm in his possession.
Pastor Ola, who also happened to be a spy police, was fingered as the policeman who sold the gun to him.
Narrating his side of the story, Pastor Ola said that he indeed sold his pump action rifle to the suspected armed robber with necessary caution but begged for mercy.
“If I had known, I would not have done it that way,” he said.
“I was invited by the Police on a Wednesday when I was preparing to travel to Ibadan with my boss. I was informed that some people were in my house to take my wife to the police station.
“Upon getting to our Divisional Police Station, the Divisional Police Officer asked if I was the Inspector who sold a gun to an armed robber; I replied that I didn’t sell a gun to an armed robber.
“I explained that officials of the VGN bought a gun from me, but they were referred to me by one Omooba, a well-known person in my area,” he added.
