The Niger State Police Command has killed three suspected kidnappers during a raid in Kokolo Forest, Nasko, Magama Local Government Area, on 12 September.
Police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that officers engaged the suspects in a gunfight during the clearance operation. They rescued one kidnapped victim, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.
Officers recovered two AK-74 rifles and 49 rounds of ammunition from the criminals’ hideout. Abiodun urged residents to report anyone with unexplained gunshot wounds in nearby villages.
In a separate operation, the Anti-Thuggery Unit raided criminal hideouts in Sabon-Titi, Tunga, Minna, on 25 September and arrested two robbery suspects.
Police apprehended 18-year-old Murtala Abbas from Katsina State, who was armed with two sharp sickles. Officers also detained Hassan Ibrahim, 20, from Tunga, who possessed two locally made guns, a police T-shirt, and illicit drugs. He confessed that a vigilante member known as “Sadiq” supplied him with a firearm and faulty walkie-talkies.
Police stated that both suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.
Additionally, on 27 September, officers arrested 28-year-old Bashir Abubakar from Kebbi State at Kontagora Market for attempted fraud. Abubakar allegedly tried to exchange a bag filled with paper cuttings for phones and accessories worth ₦500,000. Investigators also linked him to an earlier fraud case in August involving stolen phones valued at ₦240,000 and an abandoned motorcycle.
A mob nearly lynched Abubakar before police intervened. Officers confirmed that he will face charges once investigations are concluded.