The Police in Niger State have arrested four suspected armed robbers over allegations of culpable homicide of a photographer in Minna, the state capital.
This was contained in a press bulletin issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, and made available to journalists on Tuesday in Minna.
He added that this was in furtherance of the Police Command’s commitment to ensuring that crime suspects are apprehended and prosecuted accordingly.
It could be recalled that on February 27th, 2024, an unfortunate incident of culpable homicide was reported at Bosso Div, where one Zaccheaus Salawudeen, 33, of Tudun-Fulani, Minna, was attacked in his residence, robbed, and stabbed to death.
SP Wasiu Abiodun noted that since then, the Police Command had been on the trail of the assailants. After a meticulous investigation, the four suspects were apprehended on October 26th by the Crack Squad Unit of the Command at the River Basin area of Minna. The suspects are Mustapha Ibrahim (aka Sniper), 19; Shamson Rabiu, 21; Bashar Aliyu Gizo, 20; and Abdullahi Umar, 19.
The statement said: “During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime, explaining that on the same date, they were discussing within the area at Rafin-Yashin when they heard that the late Zaccheaus had received a large sum of money. They mobilised to his residence at midnight, attacked, and robbed him of N95,000. However, they felt disappointed and believed the deceased lied to them about the amount. One of them, known as Danladi (presently at large), stabbed the deceased in the stomach with a knife.”
The Image Maker of the State Police Command further disclosed that the investigation revealed that on August 9th, 2024, the same syndicate allegedly attacked another victim’s residence at Rafin-Yashin. The victim initially refused to open the door, but they shouted, asking if he wanted to be killed like the photographer. In the process, a neighbour identified them and was inflicted with a serious machete cut to the jaw, but he survived.
Abiodun said, “However, two knives, five wraps of suspected cannabis, alcohol, matches, and abandoned slippers were recovered during the arrest.”
He assured that the investigation is ongoing and efforts are being intensified to arrest the said Danladi, who had earlier escaped arrest by the Police operatives. The suspects have also been arraigned in court for prosecution.
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