Police Arrest 6 Suspects, Recover Stolen Items in Niger

The Niger State Police Command has arrested six suspects for various criminal offences, including theft, robbery, criminal conspiracy and thuggery, in separate operations across Minna.

The arrests and recoveries were confirmed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun.

According to the statement, the first arrest was made on January 5, 2026, at about 12:50 p.m., following intelligence received within the Chanchaga area of Minna.

Abiodun explained that one Aliyu Mohammed, a resident of Chanchaga, had been entrusted with a shop located near a mosque but allegedly stole several items from the premises, including a Lister engine and a drum, valued at over ₦1 million.

“Police operatives attached to Chanchaga Division arrested the suspect, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime and stated that he sold the items to one Ibrahim Mua’zu of Sabon-Titi,” the statement said.

The police added that the stolen Lister engine was later recovered, while both Mohammed and the alleged buyer were subsequently charged to court for prosecution.

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In a separate incident, operatives arrested a 36-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, identified as Idris Yahaya, on January 12, 2026, for allegedly robbing a student in Bosso area of Minna.

The police spokesperson said the suspect accosted the student at Bosso Estate Junction around 4:00 p.m., pretended to be a soldier, and forced him to an isolated location where he dispossessed him of an Infinix mobile phone worth more than ₦170,000.

“The victim immediately raised alarm, and the suspect was arrested with the help of community members,” the statement said.

Abiodun added that Yahaya later confessed to the crime and was also arraigned in court.

The command further disclosed that four other suspects were arrested in connection with an attack on a vigilante operative in Kpakungu area of Minna.

The incident, which occurred on December 24, 2025, involved suspected thugs who allegedly assaulted the vigilante officer while he was returning home around 6:30 p.m.

Police said the attackers dispossessed him of a locally made gun and a cutlass and inflicted injuries on him.

“He was also warned to desist from arresting their cohorts in the community,” the statement said.

Following investigations, police operatives arrested four suspects on December 30, 2025, at about 2:00 a.m. They were identified as 20-year-old Usman Mohammed, 19-year-old Shuaibu Shehu, 16-year-old Husseini Umar, and 18-year-old Abdullahi Mohammed, all residents of Kpakungu.

The statement noted that Shuaibu Shehu was apprehended at his residence, where a sharp knife, two pairs of scissors and packs of suspected cannabis were recovered.

“He confessed to the crime and identified Usman, Husseini and Abdullahi as his accomplices,” the statement said.

Police added that another suspect identified simply as Ahmed remains at large.

The case has since been transferred to the Anti-Thuggery Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna, where the suspects were investigated and formally charged to court.

The Niger State Police Command reiterated its determination to rid the state of criminal elements and urged members of the public to continue providing useful and timely information to security agencies to aid crime prevention efforts.