Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested a graduate of Animal Science from the University of Uyo, identified as Koabasi Marsodi, for allegedly running an illegal arms fabrication facility in Uyo.
Marsodi was arrested on Sunday, March 15, 2026, around 9:00 p.m. during a police raid targeting criminal hideouts, illegal arms manufacturing centres and drug networks across the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Uyo.
According to the statement, police operatives stormed a suspected criminal hideout located on Idem Street, off Itu Road, following credible intelligence reports about illegal activities taking place at the location.
Police said investigations revealed that the facility was being used not only for the production of narcotic-laced food items but also as a secret workshop for the fabrication of arms and ammunition.
“On March 15, 2026, at about 2100 hours, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, raided a suspected criminal facility located at Idem Street, off Itu Road, Uyo,” the statement said.
“The operation followed reports that illicit chin-chin snacks laced with Indian hemp were being produced and distributed from the premises.
“Upon raiding the location, police operatives discovered that the facility was also functioning as a clandestine arms and ammunition fabrication workshop.”
Preliminary investigations indicated that Marsodi allegedly operated the illegal facility. The police said the suspect reportedly confessed to producing narcotic-laced chin-chin and engaging in the illegal fabrication and modification of firearms, including cutting long guns into shorter, concealable weapons.
Items recovered from the facility include eight refilled cartridges, six expended cartridges, a bag of gunpowder, refilling pellets, a pack of striking pins and a rifle butt.
Other items recovered include filing, cutting and drilling machines used in weapon fabrication, cutting stones, assorted saws, two machetes, substances suspected to be Indian hemp, packets of chin-chin believed to be laced with the substance, as well as two pairs of black military boots, belts and a jacket.
Police said investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the criminal network mentioned during the suspect’s interrogation.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Baba Mohammed Azare, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tracking down individuals involved in illegal arms production, drug distribution and other criminal activities threatening public safety.
He warned criminal elements in the state to desist from such activities or face the full weight of the law, adding that intelligence-led operations would continue across identified crime hotspots.
