The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the arrest and detention of three suspected hoodlums accused of assaulting the incumbent Chairman of Katcha Local Government Council, Hon. Danlami Abdullahi Saku. DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s police public relations officer, issued a press statement on Tuesday in Minna, providing details of the incident.
According to the statement, “On 16/06/2024 at about 1800 hrs, information was received at Katcha Division of the state Police Command that the Chairman of Katcha Local Government Council, Hon. Danlami Abdullahi Saku, was attacked by some miscreants along Saku-Gadza village after the Sallah prayer at his village Saku, in Katcha Local Government Area.”
The statement continued to explain that the attack was reportedly linked to a debt issue between the Council Chairman and one Alhaji Yanda (other names withheld) of the same area.
It was noted that Hon. Danlami Abdullahi Saku sustained serious injuries during the assault and was initially taken to General Hospital Bida, subsequently being referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
The preliminary investigation conducted at Katcha Division led to the identification and apprehension of three suspects, who were later transferred to Bida Area Command.
The suspects were named as Alhaji Abdullahi Kasimu (68 years old) of Gadza village, Katcha; Alhaji Baba Moh’d (30 years old) of the same village; and Ahmadu Moh’d (25 years old).
The suspects were subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna on June 21st, 2024, for a thorough investigation and potential prosecution.
In a quoted statement by DSP Wasiu Abiodun, “During interrogation, the first suspect, Alhaji Kasimu, narrated that he lent the victim over a million naira (N1 million) since August 2023 and that several attempts to recover the money proved abortive.
“He further said that on June 16th, the victim promised to come and see him, and while he was on the way after the Sallah prayer, his son Ahmadu Moh’d, his in-law Alhaji Baba Moh’d, among others, accosted the chairman, had an altercation, and inflicted serious injuries on the embattled council chairman (the victim).
“Kasimu stated further that the victim transferred the money to him at the point before he was being rushed to the hospital for treatment shortly after the attack by the suspected miscreants.”
The police assured that the suspects remain under investigation at the SCID, Minna, with ongoing efforts to apprehend others who reportedly escaped arrest.
It was emphasised that once investigations are concluded, the suspects will be arraigned in court and prosecuted accordingly.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
