The Niger State Police Command has arrested 24 suspects in connection with thuggery, armed robbery, and illegal possession of firearms and dangerous weapons during a sting operation carried out in the Maitumbi area of Minna, the state capital.

According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the operation was conducted in the early hours of Tuesday, July 30, 2025, between 3:00 am and 5:30 am, targeting locations notorious for criminal activities.

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He said the Anti-Thuggery Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna, in collaboration with officers from Maitumbi and Central Police Divisions and local vigilante groups, raided several locations including Angwa-Roka, Kwari-Berger, Flamingo, and Tudun in the Maitumbi axis.

Among those arrested were Abubakar Nura, 23; Auwal Mohammed, 20; Suleiman Hassan, 21 — all of Anguwan-Roka — and Alhassan Mohammed, 19, of Maitumbi. The suspects were apprehended at a residence allegedly used as a hideout by a notorious gang leader identified as Saidu Umar Namaska, who is currently on the run.

A search of the premises led to the recovery of several weapons and illicit items, including an automatic pump-action gun with two live cartridges, a bolt cutter, cutlasses, scissors, shisha pots, and hard substances.

SP Abiodun further revealed that more suspects, including Usman Abubakar Bahago, 18; Abubakar Sadiq Bahago, 24; and Mubarak Abubakar, 18, all of Anguwan-Roka, were arrested at another suspected gang base belonging to a leader known as “Sudaise.” Officers recovered various dangerous weapons from the premises.

He added that two suspects — Jemilu Ibrahim, 23, of Berger Junction, and Jemilu Ilyasu, 16, of Kwari-Berger — were found hiding in a shop. During the attempted arrest, they allegedly threatened security operatives with a knife and tried to escape through the rooftop. A search under their bed revealed cutlasses and knives.

Other individuals arrested include Shafiu Umar Chukuli, 30, of Maitumbi; Daniel Joseph, 16, of Angwan-Gwari; Saidu Aminu Babayi, 25, of Tudun, Maitumbi; and Mustapha Mohammed, 25, of Berger Junction.

“This gang was found in a house where a vigilante member was killed last year and it’s one of the houses used as a hideout. Eleven others were also arrested in different situations within the areas at the early hours of the day,” Abiodun said.

All suspects are currently in police custody and undergoing investigation, while efforts are ongoing to track down other members of the gangs.

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