The Niger State Police Command has recorded major breakthroughs in its ongoing fight against crime, arrested 19 suspects across different parts of the state for offences ranging from multi-billion naira theft and arranged self-kidnap, to child murder and motorcycle theft.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the arrests followed painstaking investigations carried out by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and divisional patrol teams.
According to the Command, twelve security personnel attached to the Kainji Power Plant were arrested for allegedly conniving with scrap dealers to vandalise and cart away navigation lock metals and beams worth over ₦4.8 billion. The syndicate, which operated between 2023 and 2025, used acetylene gas and cranes to cut and transport the stolen items, which were later sold to companies in Lagos, Kwara and Osun States. Investigations revealed suspicious financial transactions running into millions of naira between the suspects and the scrap dealers, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other accomplices.
In another major case, two young men, Ahmed Alh. Bura of Bauchi State and Shafiu Ibrahim of Makujeri, were arrested after allegedly staging a fake kidnap in Minna in an attempt to extort ₦7 million from their colleagues. Their arrest was linked to a wider investigation into an internet fraud syndicate operating under the guise of “Quest Int’l Company,” which promoted a bogus network marketing scheme to defraud unsuspecting victims. Both suspects remain in custody at the SCID Minna and will be charged to court.
The Command also unraveled a tragic case in Kwana-Mariga where a 10-year-old boy, Yaseer Mustapha, was abducted and murdered. He was kidnapped in July 2025 while his guardian was on the farm, and despite the payment of ransom, the boy was killed and buried in an uncompleted building in the neighbourhood. The suspects, Abdulmajid Dan-Azumi and Abdulnafiu Usman, confessed to the crime, and the decomposed remains of the victim were later exhumed and handed over to the family for burial rites. Both suspects have since been charged to court.
In a separate operation, a police patrol team in Kontagora intercepted two men riding a motorcycle with a suspicious sack along Kontagora–Yauri Road. On searching the sack, dismantled parts of a stolen Bajaj motorcycle were discovered. Further investigation led to the arrest of a third accomplice, and all three suspects confessed to the theft, admitting that they had dismantled the motorcycle for ease of transportation and sale. They are currently in custody awaiting prosecution.
SP Abiodun reassured residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to rid Niger State of criminal elements. He urged the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely information to security agencies to aid ongoing efforts in tackling crime across the state.
The recent breakthroughs, according to the Command, underlined the determination of the Niger State Police to intensify its clampdown on criminal activities and safeguard lives and property across the state.
