The Niger State Police Command has recorded major successes in its ongoing fight against crime in Minna metropolis, arresting several suspects over theft, robbery, thuggery and drug-related offences.
The command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, said officers from Chanchaga Division arrested Aliyu Mohammed of Chanchaga for allegedly stealing a Lister engine, a drum and other items worth more than ₦1 million from a shop entrusted to him near a mosque.
Abiodun said the suspect confessed during interrogation and led officers to Ibrahim Mu’azu of Sabon-Titi, who allegedly bought the stolen items. Police recovered the Lister engine and charged both suspects to court.
In a related incident, police arrested a 36-year-old motorcycle rider, Idris Yahaya, from the Darulsalam area of Bosso, on January 12, 2026, for robbing a student of an Infinix mobile phone valued at over ₦170,000. The suspect allegedly posed as a soldier and forced the victim into an isolated area within Bosso Estate. Community members apprehended him after the victim raised the alarm, and police have since charged him to court.
In another operation, police arrested four suspects for criminal conspiracy, grievous assault and thuggery following an attack on a vigilante operative in Kpakungu on December 24, 2025. The suspects allegedly disarmed the operative of a locally made gun and a cutlass and threatened him to stop arresting their associates.
Those arrested include Usman Mohammed, Shuaibu Shehu, Husseini Umar and Abdullahi Mohammed, all residents of Kpakungu. Officers recovered dangerous weapons and suspected cannabis, while investigations continue to track down another suspect still at large. Police transferred the case to the Anti-Thuggery Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Meanwhile, police raids on criminal hideouts across Minna between December 23 and 27, 2025, led to the arrest of 10 additional suspects in areas including Alagbado, Tudun-Natsira, Angwan-Daji, Abdulsalam Quarters and New Market. Officers recovered cutlasses and suspected cannabis, and charged all the suspects to court.
Further operations on January 17 and 18, 2026, resulted in more arrests in Kwangila, Kasuwan-Gwari, Sabon-Gari and Abdulsalam areas for thuggery and possession of illicit substances. Recovered items included knives, suspected cannabis, illicit chemicals and a locally made dane gun.
The Niger State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property and urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to support crime-fighting efforts across the state.