Niger Police Arrest 24 Suspects Over Vehicle Theft, Snatching, Vandalism, Thuggery
The Niger State Police Command has arrested 24 suspects in a series of coordinated operations aimed at curbing criminal activities across the state.
The arrests, according to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, were made in connection with offences including vehicle theft, motorcycle snatching, vandalism, receiving stolen property, and thuggery.
Among those arrested is a 32-year-old mechanic, Suleiman Anaba, from Sahonrami in Mashegu Local Government Area, who was accused of stealing a customer’s vehicle entrusted to him for repairs.
Police said the suspect was given a Toyota Corolla with registration number AG 281 BNK for repair works but allegedly disappeared with the vehicle for more than a week.
Following a complaint, operatives attached to the Mashegu Division tracked and arrested him.
During interrogation, Anaba reportedly confessed to the crime and led officers to Kontagora, where the stolen vehicle was recovered. He has since been charged to court for prosecution.
In a separate operation carried out on March 26, 2026, at about 5:00 p.m., police in Mokwa arrested a suspected motorcycle thief, Buhari Usman, 25, of Jebba, along Raba Road.
The suspect reportedly confessed to stealing a motorcycle in Moyo and revealed plans to sell it through an accomplice identified as Abdullahi Suleiman.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Suleiman and another alleged gang member, Aliyu Ibrahim, 26.
Police recovered two Bajaj motorcycles from the suspects, one of which was reportedly stolen from Sunti Sugar Company.
The suspects have been charged in court, while efforts are ongoing to trace and identify the rightful owners of the recovered motorcycles.
Similarly, operatives attached to the Maje Division arrested four suspects on March 30, 2026, over alleged possession of a stolen vehicle.
The vehicle, a Toyota Carina-E with registration number CQ 302 GGE, was reportedly stolen on March 27 from the Durumi area of Garki, Abuja.
Police said the car was later found parked and being offered for sale along Kaduna Road, where it was subsequently recovered.
The suspects — Gambo Ibrahim, 23; Sani Kabir, 25; Shuaibu Danjuma, 29; and Abdulrahman Abubakar, 21 — claimed they bought the vehicle for ₦850,000 from an unidentified seller who promised to provide the original documents.
The case is still under investigation.
In its anti-vandalism operations, the Command also recorded significant breakthroughs.
On March 31, 2026, suspected vandals reportedly fled on sighting a joint police and vigilante patrol team in Kabo community, abandoning a Honda vehicle (Reg. No. KEF 403 SA), vandalised electric cables, mobile phones, and identification cards.
In another incident on April 3, 2026, a 20-year-old vigilante member, Abubakar Abdullahi of Tungan-Maje, Minna, was arrested for allegedly vandalising electric cables from CNG buses parked at the Trade Fair Complex in Shango.
He was apprehended with items including a knife, scissors, a torchlight, and the stolen cables.
Police said the suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.
Also, on April 2, 2026, police arrested a suspected motorcycle snatcher, Babangida Ali, 31, of Kagarko, following a distress call from the Bakin-Iku area along Kaduna Road.
The suspect allegedly dispossessed a motorcyclist of his Bajaj motorcycle and attempted to escape but was swiftly pursued and arrested by patrol officers.
According to the police, the suspect has provided useful information regarding other members of his syndicate who are currently at large.
In a related development, operatives from the Central Division in Minna arrested 16 suspected miscreants between March 31 and April 2, 2026, during a house-to-house raid targeting criminal hideouts in Angwan-Sarki and Ogbomosho areas.
Recovered items include cutlasses, a sickle, a saw, and sticks.
The suspects are currently under investigation and will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for prosecution.
The Niger State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to combating crime and ensuring the safety of lives and property across the state.
Niger Police Arrest 24 Suspects Over Vehicle Theft, Snatching, Vandalism, Thuggery
