13-year-old student arrested for threatening colleagues with gun

The operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have apprehended a 13-year-old student for allegedly threatening his colleagues with a pistol at St. Paul Primary School in Ikot Ibiok, Eket Local Government Area of the state.

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, disclosed this at a press briefing in Uyo, the state capital, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

Azare said police operatives acted on credible information at about 8 a.m. on January 30 that the 13-year-old student was going about with a pistol in the school, threatening to fire his fellow students.

Azare said: “The operatives of the command immediately swung into action, arrested the suspect, a male, and recovered a locally-made pistol.

“On interrogation, the 13-year-old student confessed that he had been with the said gun since November 2024 and that he got it from a ward in his father’s bedroom.”

The police commissioner stated that the student’s father had been arrested, adding that an investigation into the matter was ongoing.

Azare also disclosed that the command arrested two young girls who conspired and stole a child at Obong Itam in Itu LGA of Akwa Ibom State in June 2024 and sold the child for N200,000 to someone in Cross River State.

17 students burnt to death as fire razes Zamfara school

He said the suspects confessed to the crime, adding that they used the proceeds to purchase a refrigerator, television, and fan.

He disclosed that the items had been recovered from them, saying an investigation was ongoing to arrest the buyer of the child.

The CP added that two young girls reported a woman who attempted trafficking them to some men in Cross River State for baby-making, selling the expected babies, and sharing the proceeds.

Azare stated that based on the complaint at about 8 a.m. on February 1, police operatives swung into action and arrested one Gift Essien Tommy and one Peace Ekanem, adding that an investigation was ongoing.

Azare disclosed that the command’s operatives also apprehended other suspects involved in cult-related activities, unlawful possession of firearms, and illicit drugs, among others in Akwa Ibom State.

He said the command would not relent in its efforts to rid Akwa Ibom State of all crimes and criminalities.

The police commissioner, however, urged residents of the state to continue to support the police with useful information to succeed.

The Star