An Onitsha-based suspected arms dealer, Mr Alphonsus Ngwu, has been arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Anambra State Police Command, the command’s spokesman, Emeka Chukwuemeka, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), said at the weekend.

The police spokesman said while parading the suspect before journalists at the SARS headquarters, Awkuzu,  that  Ngwu a native of Ugwuoba in Enugu State,  was arrested in his shop at the Main Market Onitsha, adding that six pump action rifles, one revolver pistol, 6,390 live cartridges, 62 rounds of 5.65mm live ammunition, 74 rounds of nine mm live ammunition, 12 AK 47 magazines, two K-2 magazines, some dismantled parts of AK 47 riffles, one general purpose machine gun ammunition and one smoke cartridge were recovered from the shop.

Four armed robbery suspects who specialise in car snatching were also paraded alongside Ngwu at the SARS headquarters.

Ngwu confessed to newsmen that he had been in the business of illegal arms importation for over 15 years now.

Chukwuemeka explained that the suspects were arrested as part of the ongoing crackdown on men of the underworld in the state, and in line with the resolve of the Governor Willie Obiano’s administration to achieve zero tolerance on crime in Anambra State.

The state police image maker disclosed that the arms dealer received his supply from abroad through one man simply known as Alhaji who is already in the command’s custody, saying that some arrested armed robbery suspects have fingered Ngwu as their chief arms supplier.

In a swift reaction, Governor Obiano expressed delight over the breakthrough recorded by the Police, saying,“Ndi Anambra can now go home and sleep peacefully”.

The governor who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on media, Mr. James Eze, pledged, that the war against suspected criminals in the estate would continue in earnest.

He announced that his administration would put consult the state Chief Judge to put a structure in place that would accelerate the dispensation of justice in the state, adding that  a special court would be set up to compliment the efforts of the conventional courts to ensure the quick dispensation of justice.