Niger: Police arrest suspects over armed robbery, tricycle theft
Niger State Police Make Multiple Arrests in Theft and Robbery Cases
The Niger State Police Command has apprehended several suspects in connection with armed robbery, tricycle theft, and possession of suspected stolen property across the state.
In a statement, Police Public Relations Officer SP Wasiu Abiodun reported the arrest of Ghali Bello, 43, by operatives from the Maje Division. Bello is accused of stealing a tricycle belonging to a trader at Auwal Ibrahim Market in Kwamba. The victim had reported that his newly acquired tricycle, registered under MNA 125 VM, was taken from where it was parked after work on May 8, 2026.
Following the report, police detectives initiated an investigation that utilized technical intelligence to trace the stolen vehicle to Funtua Local Government Area in Katsina State, where it was recovered from Bello. During questioning, he allegedly stated that he received the tricycle from an individual named Sani, who is currently at large. Further investigations revealed that Bello previously worked in the same market and had acted as a guarantor for the victim’s hire-purchase agreement on the tricycle, valued at approximately N8 million. Both Bello and the recovered tricycle remain in police custody for continued investigation.
In a separate incident, officers from the Maitumbi Division arrested two individuals, Abba Umar, 28, and Zakariya Abubakar, 23, both residents of Sabon-Titi Minna, on charges of armed robbery. The suspects reportedly invaded a hotel in the Maitumbi area brandishing dangerous weapons, where they stole phones and other valuables from guests. Their arrest followed a distress call from the hotel manager, and police recovered cutlasses allegedly used during the crime.
The command indicated that Umar and Abubakar would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and prosecution.
Additionally, officers from the Mokwa Division detained Hussaini Mohammed, 27, a resident of Guye-Doko village in Kwara State, in possession of a Bajaj motorcycle suspected to be stolen. According to the police, Mohammed claimed during questioning that the motorcycle belonged to his father and that he intended to sell it in Kontagora without his father’s permission. The motorcycle has been recovered, and Mohammed has been charged in court.
