The Niger State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate and recovered a pistol loaded with two live ammunition in a series of operations across the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a crime bulletin issued on Tuesday, adding that the arrests followed investigations into robbery incidents in parts of Minna.
According to him, armed robbers invaded some residences in Sauka-Kahuta area of Minna at about 2am on August 11, 2026, and carted away laptops, mobile phones, motorcycles and other valuables.
He said operatives of Tudun-Wada Division moved to the scene following the report and commenced investigation, which led to the arrest of the alleged gang leader, 25-year-old Isiya Auwal of Maitumbi, on August 17.
Auwal subsequently led detectives to the arrest of three other suspected members of the syndicate: 27-year-old Muhammad Tanko of Sauka-Kahuta, arrested at Tafa; 35-year-old Francis Yusuf, also known as Sisko, arrested at Dikko Junction; and 28-year-old Amir Musa of Keffi, arrested in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The suspects reportedly confessed to armed robbery operations around Mandela, Sauka-Kahuta, Barkin-Sale, Farm Centre and Highpoint areas of Minna.
The suspects also allegedly identified 50-year-old Ismaila Abdullahi of Angwan-Roka, Maitumbi, as the custodian of their firearm.
Following the information, police operatives moved to Abdullahi’s location on August 19 and arrested him, recovered a Beretta pistol and two live ammunition from his possession.
Further investigation, the command said, revealed that the suspects allegedly sold stolen items to a receiver identified as Ahmed, alias Genuine, of Maitumbi.
The police said efforts were ongoing to arrest Ahmed, while the suspects remained in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Minna, for further investigation.
In a separate operation, police arrested a suspected livestock thief and recovered three animals comprising two goats and one sheep.
The suspect, 27-year-old Abdulmumini Lawal of Sawmill area, Mokwa, was intercepted by a patrol team attached to Mokwa Division at Lafiagi area of Mokwa along the Mokwa-Jebba Road at about 5am on August 20.
The command said Lawal confessed during interrogation that he stole the animals and was taking them to Ilorin, Kwara State, when he was arrested.
He has since been charged to court for prosecution.
Also, eight suspected miscreants were arrested during a raid on identified black spots in Maitumbi, Minna, with dangerous weapons and cannabis recovered.
The suspects, arrested at about 1:30am on August 23 by operatives of Maitumbi Division in collaboration with vigilante members, were identified as Anas Sani, Ibrahim Musa, Isah Haruna, Buhari Usman, Yusuf Shehu, Halilu Abubakar, Saidu Idris and Musa Idris, alias Fresh.
Weapons recovered from some of the suspects included sickles, cutlasses, knives and sticks, while cannabis was also recovered from two of them.
The command said the suspects were undergoing further investigation and would be charged to court upon completion of the process.
In another development in Kontagora, two suspected motorcycle thieves were arrested and rescued from an angry mob following an attempt to lynch them.
The suspects, 35-year-old Hassan Adamu and 28-year-old Bashar Isah, both of Usubu area of Kontagora, were arrested on August 24 after they were reportedly seen with a suspected stolen motorcycle.
The police patrol team attached to ‘B’ Division, Kontagora, moved to the scene and rescued the suspects from the agitated crowd before taking them into custody.
During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to stealing the motorcycle at about 3am the same day from a residence in the Federal Low Cost area of Kontagora.
The command said investigation into the case was ongoing and the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Similarly, police arrested a 35-year-old man, Aminu Yusuf of Unguwan-Tukura, Kontagora, for allegedly posing as a medical doctor.
Yusuf was arrested on August 24 at about 4:30pm following credible information received by the police.
The command said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had allegedly been administering medications and giving injections to members of the public despite having no medical qualification or relevant medical documents.
He reportedly collected N30,000 from women to whom he allegedly administered injections.
The suspect remains in police custody for further investigation and will be prosecuted after the investigation.
The Niger State Police Command assured residents that it would sustain intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the state, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
