NIGER POLICE ARREST 24 ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECTS IN MINNA RAID, RECOVER PUMP-ACTION RIFLE

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Niger State Police Command has arrested 24 suspects linked to armed robbery, thuggery, and youth restiveness in Minna, the state capital. The arrests were made during a coordinated sting operation carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

Spokesman of the Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday, disclosing that the crackdown followed the directive of the state Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, who has intensified efforts to combat criminal gangs in the metropolis.

The operation, which lasted from 3 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., involved operatives from the Anti-Thuggery Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna, officers from the Maitumbi and Central Police Stations, as well as local vigilantes. Targeted areas included Angwan-Roka, Kwari-Berger, Flamingo, and Tudun under Maitumbi.

The police recovered one automatic pump-action gun with two live cartridges, a bolt cutter, cutlasses, knives, scissors, shisha pots, and suspected illicit substances during searches conducted at known criminal hideouts.

Several suspects were arrested from a residence allegedly used by a wanted gang leader, Saidu Umar Namaska, who remains at large. Others were apprehended from a separate location linked to another notorious figure, “Sudaise,” also still on the run.

Among the suspects are Abubakar Nura (23), Auwal Mohammed (20), Suleiman Hassan (21), Alhassan Mohammed (19), Usman Abubakar Bahago (18), Abubakar Sadiq Bahago (24), and Mubarak Abubakar (18), all residents of Maitumbi and Angwan-Roka.

Two other suspects, Jemilu Ibrahim (23) and Jemilu Ilyasu (16), reportedly threatened officers with a knife while attempting to escape through a rooftop. They were eventually apprehended, and sharp weapons were found hidden beneath their bed.

Other arrests include Shafiu Umar Chukuli (30), Daniel Joseph (16), Saidu Aminu Babayi (25), and Mustapha Mohammed (25), taken from a house previously linked to the murder of a vigilante member.

According to the police, all 24 suspects are currently undergoing interrogation, while efforts to apprehend their accomplices are ongoing.