The Lagos state command of the Nigeria Police Force has announced the arrest of 3 siblings – Faith Ogbona, Chidioke Ogbona and Sunday Ogbona – in the Alagbado area of the state for allegedly selling bags of beans mixed with sniper, a poisonous insecticide.
Policemen from the Alagbado division say they carried out the arrests following a tip-off by a woman who claimed she saw one of the siblings, Chidioke, applying the Sniper insecticide on the beans.
Chidioke and Sunday were arrested on Friday while their elder brother, Faith who owned the shop, was detained by policemen when he went to the station to secure their bail.
While parading the suspects on Wednesday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, the police claimed that 41-year-old Faith had also tried to bribe the divisional police officer with the sum of N500,000 to make him dismiss the matter.
Also put on display on Wednesday were some bags of beans mixed with Sniper and bottles the insecticide allegedly recovered from the Ogbonnas’ shop.
Narrating his side of the story to newsmen, 18-year-old Chidioke said “I just saw it (Sniper) as something that kills insects and decided to use it to preserve the beans and kill the insects therein. I was applying the chemical for the first time when a woman approached me and warned that it was dangerous.
“A few minutes after, some policemen came to arrest me. My brother (Faith) was not around when I put the Sniper in the beans.”
Although the shop owner confessed that his suppliers in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he bought the goods, used some chemicals including Sniper and DD Force, to preserve beans, he said his brother carried out the act without his consent.
According to Punch, Faith, who said he started the business four years ago, also denied offering the bribe to the DPO.
The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, however, insisted that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.
