Forty-four days after an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Usman Nuhu, fatally shot 28-year-old Oghenemine “Mena” Ogidi in Delta State, the Nigeria Police Force says it has uncovered a gun-running syndicate linked to the Beretta pistol at the centre of the incident.
Investigators traced the firearm through a chain of transactions involving four suspected syndicate members.
The investigation revealed that it was sold for N200,000, resold for N290,000, and later sold again for N380,000 before being transported to Delta State, bringing the cumulative value of the deals involving the weapon to N870,000.
Ogidi was killed on April 26, 2026, while attempting to deliver a parcel containing a Beretta pistol and four rounds of live ammunition through a commercial motor park in Effurun, Delta State.
A viral video of the incident showed Ogidi pleading with ASP Nuhu to help identify the sender of the package before the officer opened fire on him. The killing sparked widespread outrage, renewed concerns over extrajudicial killings, and raised questions about the circulation of illegal firearms in the state.
Providing an update on Monday, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda Oyeniyi, announced the arrest of four suspected members of a gun-running syndicate linked to the recovered firearm.
He said, “As a follow-up on the case of unlawful possession of a Beretta pistol recovered at a park in Effurun, Uvwie LGA on 1st May 2026, four suspects who are part of the gun running syndicate namely, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, Clifford Boleyelefa.
“Amadi Princewill and Amadi Felix Chibuike have been arrested. The suspects were arrested in Bayelsa and Imo states, respectively, after painstaking investigations and intelligence-led operations carried out by operatives of the command.
“The first suspect Emmanuel Chukwuemeka was arrested in Bayelsa on the 4th of May 2026 alongside his friend and roommate whose phone he used as a means of communication to purchase the gun.”
Oyeniyi said investigators subsequently reconstructed the movement of the firearm through multiple transactions.
According to him, “Emmanuel revealed that he bought the gun from one Amadi Princewill for the sum of N290,000 and sold the gun to one Desmond (at large) for the sum of N380,000.
“Who, in turn, billed it to Effurun and contacted Oghenemine Ogidi (now deceased) to collect it and send it to Sapele. Following the confession of Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, the second suspect Amadi Princewill, was trailed and arrested in Imo State on the 15th of May 2026.
“Upon the arrest of Amadi Princewill, and on interrogation, he stated that he bought the gun from one Amadi Felix for the sum of N200,000. Consequently, Amadi Felix was trailed and arrested in Owerri Imo State on 16th May 2026.”
The commissioner further disclosed that all four suspects are members of the Black Axe confraternity.
He added that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate, including Desmond, who remains at large.
