The police have detained 139 suspects and charged 64 of them following a crackdown on illegal gatherings, violent protests, thuggery, and other offences in Suleja and Minna, Niger State.
The state command announced this in a crime bulletin issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun.
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According to the police, the arrests came after a violent rally in Suleja, where some participants allegedly brandished dangerous weapons, assaulted, and robbed members of the public.
Following the incidents, Abiodun said the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, deployed the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), led by Hassan Gimba, to Suleja on 4 August.
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The police said the team conducted sting operations at identified criminal hideouts in Madalla, Kwata, Bakin-Ruwa, Dikko, Kaduna Road, Sabon-Wuse, Gwazunu, and Chaza.
Altogether 139 suspects were detained during the operations.
The command said the investigation led to the identification of 64 suspects with criminal activities.
It said the suspects were found in possession of suspected cannabis, dangerous weapons, scissors, knives, cutlasses and four live cartridges.
The 64 suspects were subsequently arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court in Suleja on charges including criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, aiding and abetting, harbouring suspected criminals, giving information to miscreants, causing disappearance of evidence, mischief and possession of dangerous weapons.
The suspects were remanded in a correctional centre, according to the police.
Police arrest eight suspected thugs in Minna
The command also reported the arrest of eight suspected thugs during separate operations in Minna.
According to the police, surveillance operatives attached to Tudun-Wada Division conducted a coordinated raid at suspected criminal hideouts in the Talakawa area of Tunga at about 4:30 a.m. on 11 August.
Three suspects — Ashiru Sirajo, 19; Aminu Mahmud, 17, and Dadi Suleiman, 14 — were arrested.
The police said a search of their residence led to the recovery of a long, flexible cutlass, two clubs, and a shovel.
The operation was extended to Sauka-Kahuta, where another suspect, Jibrin Muhammad, 18, was arrested.
The police said two sharp daggers, an ice bunker, six lighters and suspected cannabis were recovered from him.
Similarly, operatives of Maitumbi Division, in collaboration with local vigilantes, raided criminal hideouts in the area on 9 August.
Four suspects — Buhari Aliyu, 25; Shaabal Muhammed, 20; Mubarak Ahmad, 24, and Saifullah Muhammad, 21 — were arrested at Challenge Junction, Maitumbi.
They were allegedly found in possession of illicit substances and shisha pots.
The command said the investigation into the cases was ongoing and that the suspects would be prosecuted upon its completion.
Police arrest two suspected military impersonators
The police also said they arrested two men accused of impersonating military personnel and assaulting a laundry shop attendant in Suleja.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on 8 August at Angwan-Gwari, Suleja.
The suspects, identified as Abraham Ashiwel and Michael Okonkwo, both residents of the Bakassi area, Suleja, allegedly stormed a laundry shop dressed in military attire and assaulted an attendant over an allegedly missing mobile phone.
Following a report, operatives of the ‘B’ Division, Suleja, commenced an investigation and arrested the two suspects.
The police said the suspects confessed during interrogation that they had been impersonating military personnel in the community after they were expelled from the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
Items recovered from them included a pair of military camouflage uniforms, one pair of camouflage trousers, two combat T-shirts, two pairs of desert boots, two identity cards and two jackknives.
The suspects remain in custody and are expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
Suspect arrested over stolen phones
The command also reported the arrest of a 31-year-old man, Ahmed Sani, over allegations of receiving stolen property.
The police said three students of the Federal University of Technology, Bosso, who were sitting for examinations on 6 August, left three mobile phones on a motorcycle and later discovered that the phones were missing.
The victims reported the matter to the Bosso Division, after which the police commenced an investigation.
According to the command, technical intelligence led operatives to Sani, of Angwan-Baushe, who was arrested in Maitumbi.
The police said the suspect confessed to receiving the stolen phones and claimed he had already sent them to Kano for sale.
The three phones were subsequently recovered on 12 August.
The suspect has been arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court for prosecution, the police said.
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Police arrest two suspected thugs over clash
The command further disclosed the arrest of two suspected thugs, Musa Usman, popularly known as Musa Kaura, and Jamilu Yahaya, both 30, over alleged thuggery and disturbance of public peace.
The case was transferred from the Minna Area Command to the SCID for discreet investigation.
The police said the suspects were arrested on 25 July when a patrol team encountered a group of thugs engaged in a violent clash at the Tsohon-Gurusu area of Maitumbi.
During the confrontation, Musa Kaura reportedly sustained an injury when the second suspect cut off his index finger.
During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to involvement in illegal mining activities and said their disagreement over proceeds from the activities led to the fight.
The command further alleged that Musa Kaura had previously featured in a viral video involving thuggery and had been on the police wanted list.
The two suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the command would continue to intensify operations against criminal elements across the state.
He urged residents to provide the police with credible information to help prevent crime and maintain public safety.
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