A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered the remand of a 30-year-old man, Ogunjimi Mayowa, at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre over charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke issued the remand order following Mayowa’s arraignment by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of a locally made pistol, and three live cartridges.
At the arraignment, the prosecution counsel, M.O. Bajela, informed the court of the pending charges and requested that they be read to the defendant for his plea to be taken.
Bajela said Mayowa was arrested on June 11, 2024, during a stop-and-search operation conducted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while aboard a public bus along the Lekki-Ajah corridor in Lagos. He was reportedly found with a locally made pistol and three live cartridges without a licence.
The NDLEA later transferred him to the DSS for further investigation and prosecution.
According to the charges, Mayowa allegedly conspired with others and was in possession of illegal arms in contravention of Sections 3 and 316 of the Firearms Act, Cap F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (as amended), and punishable under Section 27(1)(a) and 27(1)(b)(ii) of the same Act.
Mayowa, however, pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
With no bail application before the court, the prosecution requested that the defendant be remanded in custody pending trial. Justice Aneke granted the request and adjourned the matter to November 6, 2025.
In a confessional statement to the DSS, Mayowa reportedly admitted to being a member of the Gani Adams-led faction of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC). He claimed to have purchased the pistol for N25,000 and the cartridges for N2,000 each from a fellow OPC member known as “Solution Armani.”
He further disclosed that the firearm was used during land-grabbing operations in Lagos and Ogun states, which he categorised into two phases: “flushing” and “pindown.”
According to Mayowa, “flushing” operations were carried out in daylight with the assistance of armed police officers, who used AK-47 rifles to evict occupants from targeted land. Once the police departed, Mayowa and his group would then stay behind to secure the land—a phase he called “pindown.”
He claimed the weapon was used strictly for self-defence in case of retaliation.