The police have arrested 24 suspected criminals during a coordinated sting operation targeted at thuggery and armed robbery in Maitumbi, a suburb of Minna, the Niger State capital.
The operation, which took place on Tuesday between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., was led by operatives from the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Anti-Thuggery Unit, in collaboration with personnel from the Maitumbi and Central Police Divisions, as well as local vigilante groups.
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According to a statement by the state police command’s spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, the crackdown followed increased criminal activities, particularly youth restiveness, armed robbery, and gang violence in notorious enclaves such as Angwan-Roka, Kwari-Berger, Flamingo, and Tudun within Maitumbi.
Among the suspects arrested were Abubakar Nura (23), Auwal Mohammed (20), Suleiman Hassan (21), and Alhassan Mohammed (19), all of Angwan-Roka.
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They were apprehended at a hideout linked to one Saidu Namaska, a suspected gang leader currently at large.
A search of the residence led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun, two live cartridges, a bolt cutter, cutlasses, scissors, shisha paraphernalia, and illicit substances, the police said.
In another location connected to a second gang leader known as Sudaise, more suspects were arrested.
They include Usman Abubakar Bahago (18), Abubakar Bahago (24), and Mubarak Abubakar (18). Also apprehended were Jemilu Ibrahim (23) and Jemilu Ilyasu (16) of Kwari-Berger, who were hiding in a shop and allegedly threatening officers with knives and escaping through the rooftop.
Weapons, including cutlasses and knives, were recovered from their hideout, the police said.
Other suspects include: Shafiu Chukuli (30), Daniel Joseph (16), Saidu Babayi (25), and Mustapha Mohammed (25).
READ ALSO: Police arrest 24 crime suspects in Minna sting operation
This group was picked up in a house previously marked as a gang hideout and allegedly linked to the killing of a vigilante member in 2024.
According to Mr Abiodun, an additional 11 suspects were arrested across different locations in the same operation, bringing the total to 24.
The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, vowed to sustain the aggressive onslaughts against criminal gangs and called on residents to continue supporting the police with actionable information.
The latest crackdown comes amid growing concerns about violent youth gangs, locally referred to as “Yan Daba”, whose activities have led to increased insecurity in parts of Minna and other urban centres in Niger State.
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