The Niger State Police Command says it has arrested two suspects who allegedly impersonating security personnel and robbing a motorcyclist of his bike in Minna, the Niger State capital.
The Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun stated this in a statement issued on Monday.
According to the statement, the suspects were arrested after a direct complaint was received at the Divisional Police station in Bosso from the victim who told the police that two persons who were dressed in Police and Vigilante T-shirts intercepted him as a motorcyclist at Hayin-Gwari on 25th March at about 1930hrs on a Bajaj motorcycle with Reg. No. MNA 121 CV valued about seventy thousand naira, without any justification and headed to Tudun Wada Police Division.
“When approaching the T/wada Div area, the victim was instructed to produce the particulars of the motorcycle, while he rushed home for the documents. On his return, he discovered that the two men had disappeared to an unknown location with his motorcycle.
“However, during the painstaking investigation, the motorcycle was later found in the residence of Sabiu Hassan, and when his house was searched, one locally-made pistol was also recovered from him.”
The statement added that he (Hassan) during interrogation confessed that he stole the motorcycle, as he intentionally refused to take the motorcycle to the Police Division with the intent to dispose of it.
“He mentioned his accomplice as one Kabiru, a fellow vigilante member of Bosso presently at large.
“He narrated further that he bought the pistol from one Abdullahi Ibrahim of Beji at the rate of eighteen thousand naira around February this year.. it was equally alleged by another victim that Sabiu took eighty thousand naira from him to investigate and recover his recently stolen motorcycle with No. BDA 07 QP.”
The statement equally said that Sabiu led the Police team to a local fabricator named; Ibrahim Ahore at Beji, who confessed that he had been a manufacturer of locally made guns.
The police said that it recovered two locally-made double-barrel guns, one double-barrel Dane gun, six single-barrel Dane guns and two iron rods for making guns.
The statement added that while Sabiu and Ahore have been charged in court, efforts are ongoing to apprehend Kabiru and Abdullahi.