The police public relations officer in Nigwr State, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a crime bulletin.
The police have arrested four suspects in connection with the alleged killing of a 30-year-old man, Sunday Pada, in the Korokpan area of Minna, Niger State.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a crime bulletin issued on Tuesday.
Abiodun said the incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. when some persons in the Korokpan area allegedly attacked the victim.
“Police operatives attached to Paiko Division moved to the scene, but the suspects had escaped before their arrival,” he said.
The victim was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
The police said the suspects were later identified after three of them were found in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following a sting operation conducted in the area.
The three suspects were released to the police, while another was arrested.
They were identified as Ibrahim Abubakar, Aliyu Onah, Godwin Musa, and Aminu Bawa, all residents of Korokpan, Minna.
The command said preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased was returning from a friend’s house when an alarm was raised, allegedly accusing him of being a thief.
The suspects reportedly intercepted him, beat him severely and subsequently stabbed him.
The four suspects are currently being investigated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Minna, for alleged criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
The police said the investigation was ongoing.
The incident has again drawn attention to the dangers of mob action and the growing concern over residents taking the law into their own hands following unverified allegations of criminality.
The police urged members of the public to report suspected criminality to law enforcement agencies rather than resorting to violence against alleged offenders.
The command said the suspects would be prosecuted upon completion of the investigation if sufficient evidence was established against them.
The suspects, however, remain presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.
The case was among several incidents highlighted by the police command in its latest crime bulletin.
In a separate operation, the command said its operatives recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition along a suspected bandit route near Krusha-Genu village in Rijau Local Government Area.
The recovery was made on August 15 at about 7:30 p.m. following intelligence that firearms and ammunition had been concealed in the bush.
Police tactical operatives led by the divisional police officer in Rijau recovered the rifle, a magazine containing 19 rounds of live ammunition, another empty magazine and 55 rounds of GPMG anti-aircraft ammunition.
The command said the recovered weapons were in police custody and undergoing forensic analysis, while joint clearance operations against banditry had been intensified.
The police also reported the arrest of three suspects in connection with an alleged criminal conspiracy and the theft of animals in Gidan-Kwano, Minna.
The suspects — Danlami Ali, 45; Sabastine Masangu, 49; and Masaud Abdullahi, 35 — were arrested on 11 August after police operatives and vigilantes intercepted a black, tinted Volkswagen vehicle suspected to have been used by a criminal syndicate.
Animal skins suspected of having been obtained from stolen animals were allegedly recovered from the vehicle.
According to the police, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects allegedly specialised in stealing goats and other animals within the community.
Four other suspects were arrested in Farm Centre, Minna, over alleged criminal conspiracy, extortion and fraud involving a purported QNET online investment scheme.
The suspects were identified as Ringim Magaji, Umar Laduwa, Bashir Abdullahi, and Ibrahim Bello.
The police said the victim had travelled from Kano to Minna for an alleged job offer.
Upon arrival, the suspects allegedly took him to a house in Farm Centre and demanded ₦200,000 for an online investment.
