The Kogi State Police Command has verified the arrest and detainment of Police Crime Inspector Aminu Muhammed on suspicion of robbing residences near his duty station at the ‘C’ Division in Lokoja, the state capital.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) William Ayah, confirming the incident on Tuesday, stated that the inspector has been apprehended and is currently under custody. He added that the Commissioner of Police for Kogi State, Bertrand Onuoha, has ordered a thorough investigation before determining the next steps regarding the alleged misconduct.
The officer’s misdeeds came to light following a robbery incident, and subsequent inquiries revealed his involvement in multiple similar cases in the past.
This time, fortune did not favor him as he was caught after the activities of a notorious gang of armed robbers specializing in stealing household items and cars.
A source identified as Aduku Sheidu Akpan, speaking from a remote village near Ochadamu, disclosed to Channels Television that the car in question was discovered in the workshop of the policeman’s panel beater, Arome Moses. Moses was already in the process of changing the car’s color at Ochadamu in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Those familiar with the vehicle and aware of the robbery at the owner’s residence on June 14, 2024, immediately raised an alarm upon spotting the car.
The vehicle’s license plate had already been changed to an Abuja registration number, and the officer presented a car dealer’s receipt backdated to 2020 as proof of purchase.
His panel beater had begun preparing the car for a color change when the alarm was raised, leading Quick Response Unit (QRU) officers from the Police Area Command in Idah to apprehend him.
Upon arrival at ‘A’ Division in Lokoja, where the QRU handed over the detained panel beater, it was discovered that the robbers responsible for the robbery had already been arrested for another offense.
One of the members of the armed robbery gang, also wanted by the police for other crimes, confessed to committing the robbery and implicated the police officer as the mastermind. He admitted they were hired to steal the car from the owner’s house on his behalf.
Sources from the police officer’s village, Akpakidigbo, disclosed that he has brought numerous cars to his large estate in the village in the past, raising suspicions about his source of income and suggesting he may have been profiting from criminal activities.
The community is now awaiting the outcome of the case, noting that the state government under Governor Usman Ododo has pledged to ensure adequate security for the state.