Police Nab 30 Suspected Thugs, Recover Weapons During Maulud Procession in Minna
The Niger State Police Command has arrested 30 suspects for alleged thuggery and possession of dangerous weapons during the Maulud celebration in Minna, the state capital.
A statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasi’u Abiodun, said the arrests were made at different flashpoints including Angwan-Sarki, Limawa, Angwan-Daji, New Market, Sabon-Gari, Kuta Road, Obasanjo Complex, Ogbomosho Street, Lagos Street, and the Central Roundabout.
According to the statement, the suspects include Abdullahi Ibrahim of Keterengwari, Zahradeen Ibrahim (popularly known as Lagos Boy) of Lagos Street, Dauda Usman of 123 Quarters, Abubakar Ibrahim of Kpakungu, Bashir Safiyanu of Sabon-Gari, Ashiru Rabiu of Barkin-Saleh, Abba Musa of Angwan-Mahuta, and Mohammed Abubakar of Kuta Road, among others.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include three knives, three cutlasses, one iron rod, a pair of scissors, cannabis, shisha apparatus, and other illicit chemical substances. DSP Abiodun confirmed that all suspects are under investigation and will be charged to court for thuggery-related offences.
In a related operation, a police patrol team attached to Mashegu Division arrested one Muhammad Usman of Guiye-Doko village, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State. He was intercepted at Makera town with two locally fabricated guns and six rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
During interrogation, Usman confessed that he purchased the weapons in Soba village, Mashegu LGA, at N180,000 each and bought the ammunition at N5,000 per round from an unidentified arms dealer. The police said efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fabricator.
Similarly, four other suspects were apprehended in Edati LGA for conspiracy and vandalisation of an electricity transformer.
The Niger State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining law and order, warning criminal elements to desist from acts capable of breaching the peace of the state.