By Ayo Kehinde
What allegedly began as a ₦200,000 firearm transaction, eventually spiralled into a deadly chain of illegal deals that ended in bloodshed and nationwide outrage, as the Nigeria Police Force says it has uncovered a gun-running syndicate linked to the Beretta pistol at the centre of the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Oghenemine “Mena” Ogidi in Delta State.
Forty-four days after Ogidi was shot dead by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Usman Nuhu, investigators said the recovered Beretta pistol passed through multiple hands and rose in value through successive transactions before eventually finding its way to Delta State, where it became tied to one of the state’s most controversial police-related killings in recent months.
The latest police findings have widened the scope of the tragedy beyond the fatal encounter itself and exposed what authorities describe as an organised network involved in the circulation of illegal firearms across states.
Investigators disclosed that the Beretta pistol moved through a chain of transactions involving four suspected syndicate members before arriving in Delta State.
Police further revealed that the weapon was initially sold for ₦200,000, resold for ₦290,000 and later transferred again for ₦380,000, bringing the cumulative value of transactions surrounding the firearm to ₦870,000 before it ultimately became linked to a killing that sparked public outrage.
Ogidi was killed on April 26, 2026, while attempting to deliver a parcel containing the Beretta pistol and four rounds of live ammunition through a commercial motor park in Effurun, Delta State.
The incident generated widespread condemnation after a viral video surfaced showing Ogidi pleading with ASP Nuhu to help identify the sender of the package moments before the officer opened fire.
The footage triggered renewed concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings by law enforcement officers and raised fresh questions over the increasing circulation of illegal firearms and criminal networks operating within the country.
Providing an update on Monday, Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda Oyeniyi, announced the arrest of four suspected members of the alleged gun-running syndicate following intelligence-led operations conducted across Bayelsa and Imo states.
“As a follow-up on the case of unlawful possession of a Beretta pistol recovered at a park in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area on May 1, 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”, he stated.
According to the police commissioner, the arrests followed painstaking investigations that enabled operatives to reconstruct the movement of the firearm and identify those allegedly involved in its circulation.
Oyeniyi disclosed that Emmanuel Chukwuemeka was first arrested in Bayelsa State on May 4 alongside a friend and roommate whose phone was allegedly used as a communication channel during the purchase process.
Police said Emmanuel confessed during interrogation that he purchased the gun from Amadi Princewill for ₦290,000 and later sold it to one Desmond, who remains at large, for ₦380,000.
Investigators alleged that Desmond subsequently arranged for the firearm to be transported to Effurun and contacted the late Ogidi to receive and forward the package to Sapele.
The commissioner further stated that subsequent investigations led operatives to Imo State, where Princewill was arrested on May 15.
Police said Princewill admitted during questioning that he purchased the firearm from another suspect, Amadi Felix, for ₦200,000, leading investigators to launch another operation that resulted in Felix’s arrest in Owerri on May 16.
Oyeniyi further disclosed that all four arrested suspects are allegedly members of the Black Axe confraternity.
He added that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations while efforts continue to apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate, including Desmond, who remains at large.
Although police authorities insist substantial progress has been made in exposing and dismantling the network linked to the firearm, questions surrounding accountability in Ogidi’s death continue to cast a shadow over the case.
