The Niger State Police Command has arrested 16 individuals for alleged thuggery, disturbance of public peace, and possession of dangerous weapons and cannabis.
State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in Minna, saying the arrests were part of efforts to curb rising cases of phone snatching and public attacks within the state capital.
The suspects were apprehended on October 15, 2024, around 4:00 a.m., following a tip-off that armed miscreants were spotted near the PDP Secretariat along Eastern Bypass, Minna.
“Police operatives from the Tudun-Wada Division were deployed to the area, and surveillance was conducted.
In the course of operations, 16 suspected miscreants were found lodging in a hotel along the bypass,” Abiodun said.
Recovered exhibits included two cutlasses, two knives, suspected cannabis, shisha apparatus, and injection substances.
The arrested suspects were identified as Hafis Yakubu (24), Alhassan Aliyu (15), Abubakar Aminu (15), Badamasi Abdulmumini (18), Hassan Sani (14), Fahad Idris (14), Abubakar Yusuf (15), Sadiq Aliyu (17), Mustapha Yakubu (18), and Masaud Idris (15).
Others include Usman Abubakar (19) and Adamu Abdulmumini (15), both of Abdulsalam Quarters. Additionally, Nasiru Kabiru (15), Mubarak Ibrahim (18), Abubakar Sani (14), and Abdulsamad Abubakar (15), all of Kuta Road, Minna, were also taken into custody.
During interrogation, the suspects claimed they were at the hotel to celebrate Hafis Yakubu’s birthday.
They said the weapons were intended for personal protection against a group known as Kafintella youths, with whom they had been engaged in frequent conflicts.
Abiodun noted that other areas of concern, including Angwan-Roka, New Market, and Maitumbi, have also seen police raids. “In these areas, about 30 suspects were arrested and charged to court,” he added.
He further revealed that ongoing surveillance is being conducted in the Bajego area along Okada Road, where one Shabban Umar was arrested with sharp scissors.
However, two other suspects, identified as Mohammed Zakari (also known as ‘M2’) and an individual referred to as ‘That Guy,’ escaped arrest.
“All suspects are currently under investigation at Tudun-Wada Division and will be prosecuted upon the completion of the investigation,” the police spokesperson confirmed.
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