By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The Niger State Police Command says it has arrested 32 suspected thugs during sting operations in parts of Minna, including three notorious kingpins and an escaped prison inmate.
Spokesperson for the command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said in a statement on Thursday that the raids were carried out between August 30 and 31 in areas such as Limawa, Makera, Kwangila, Central Roundabout, Railway Station, Ogbomosho Street, Abdulsalam Quarters, PZ, Angwan-Kaje, New Market, Sabon-Gari, Kuta Road and Angwan-Sarki.
Among those arrested was 19-year-old Jemilu Usman, a.k.a. Pabore, who has been on the police wanted list for attempted culpable homicide in Tayi village. Others include Abdulraheem Tasiu, a.k.a. Tsoho Papalo, and 25-year-old Abdulmajid Abubakar, a.k.a. Gaye, who recently completed a jail term but was found armed with a cutlass.
The police also arrested 35-year-old Mohammed Yahaya of Angwan-Sarki, identified as one of the inmates who escaped during a previous jailbreak while serving a sentence for homicide.
Items recovered during the raids included several wraps of suspected cannabis, shisha pots, cutlasses, and other illicit substances. Abiodun added that investigations are ongoing and arrangements are being made to return the escaped inmate to the correctional centre.
He further disclosed that the arrest of Usman is linked to a May 2025 incident in Tayi village, where a victim was attacked in his home after resisting a group of miscreants trying to steal mangoes. The attackers inflicted a deep cut on the victim’s head before fleeing. Usman is said to be cooperating with investigators in tracking down his accomplices.
