By Ayomide Otitoju
The Niger State Police Command has reported significant progress in its ongoing operations against crime across Minna, resulting in multiple arrests for theft, robbery, thuggery, and drug-related offences.
According to Police Spokesman Wasiu Abiodun, operatives from Chanchaga Division arrested Aliyu Mohammed for allegedly stealing a lister engine, a drum, and other items valued at over ₦1 million from a shop near a mosque. Mohammed reportedly confessed during interrogation and led police to Ibrahim Mu’azu, who allegedly bought the stolen goods.
On January 12, 2026, a motorcycle rider, Idris Yahaya, 36, of Darulsalam, Bosso, was arrested for allegedly robbing a student of an Infinix mobile phone worth over ₦170,000. Yahaya reportedly impersonated a soldier and took the victim to a secluded area before being apprehended by community members. He has since been charged to court.
Additionally, four suspects—Usman Mohammed, Shuaibu Shehu, Husseini Umar, and Abdullahi Mohammed—were arrested for criminal conspiracy, grievous assault, and thuggery following a December 24, 2025, attack on a vigilante operative in Kpakungu. Weapons and suspected cannabis were recovered, while investigations continue for one suspect still at large. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Anti-Thuggery Unit.
Police raids across Minna between December 23 and 27, 2025, led to the arrest of ten more suspects from areas including Alagbado, Tudun-Natsira, Angwan-Daji, Abdulsalam Quarters, and New Market, with cutlasses and suspected cannabis recovered. Further operations on January 17 and 18, 2026, resulted in additional arrests in Kwangila, Kasuwan-Gwari, Sabon-Gari, and Abdulsalam for thuggery and possession of illicit substances, with knives, a locally made dane gun, chemicals, and suspected cannabis seized.
The Niger State Police Command reassured residents of its continued commitment to maintaining safety and urged the public to provide timely and useful information to aid ongoing crime-fighting efforts.
