The Niger State Police Command has arrested 32 suspected thugs, including three notorious kingpins and an escaped inmate, in a series of sting operations across Minna.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP W.A. Abiodun. He said the crackdown was part of ongoing efforts to rid the state of thuggery, phone snatching, and other violent crimes.
According to him, operatives attached to ‘A’ Division Minna, led by the DPO, raided criminal hideouts between 30 and 31 August 2025 in Limawa, Makera, Kwangila, Central Roundabout, Railway Station, Ogbomosho Street, Abdulsalam Quarters, PZ Area, Angwan-Kaje, New Market, Sabon-Gari, Kuta Road, and Angwan-Sarki.
Among those arrested was 19-year-old Jemilu Usman a.k.a. Pabore, wanted for attempted culpable homicide in Tayi village, Minna. Other kingpins include Abdulraheem Tasiu a.k.a. Tsoho Papalo of PZ Area and Abdulmajid Abubakar a.k.a. Gaye, who was recently released from prison but was caught again armed with a cutlass.
Another suspect, Mohammed Yahaya (35) of Angwan-Sarki, was identified as one of the escaped inmates from the last jailbreak, having been previously convicted of homicide.
Items recovered during the raids include wraps of cannabis, shisha pots, cutlasses, and other illicit substances. Investigations are ongoing, while efforts are being made to return Yahaya to the custodial centre.
The police further revealed that Jemilu Usman was linked to a violent attack in May 2025 when he and four accomplices allegedly attacked a victim in Tayi village, leaving him with a deep head injury after resisting their attempt to steal mangoes. Usman is assisting police investigations to apprehend the others at large.
On September 1, operatives of ‘B’ Division Minna also arrested two suspected transformer vandals, Idris Garba (21) and Saifullahi Alkasim (28), at Alagbado, Minna, while two other accomplices escaped. The suspects have been transferred to SCID Minna for further investigation.
Earlier on August 28, police in Suleja arrested Ilyasu Hassan and Ibrahim Mohammed while attempting to sell a stolen Bajaj motorcycle. They confessed to stealing it along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in Jere. Both have been charged to court.
In another operation on August 20, operatives of the Tactical Support Team stormed a suspected criminal camp in Daza, Paikoro LGA, recovered a locally fabricated revolver gun after hoodlums fled the scene. Surveillance on the camp continue.
