The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects in connection with two major cases – a large-scale theft and vandalism at the Kainji Power Plant worth over ₦4.8 billion, and a staged kidnapping plotted to extort a ransom of ₦7 million.
According to The PUNCH, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, stated on Wednesday that the police received the first report on August 11, 2025, from Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd., the operators of the Kainji Hydro Power Plant.
According to the statement, an inspection of the plant’s navigation lock yard uncovered that several navigation lock metals and beams valued in billions of naira had been vandalised and stolen.
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Following the discovery, two supervisors attached to the facility were arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna.
The suspects, identified as Shaibu Abu Sufyan (35) and Ibrahim Musa (31), initially denied involvement. However, during interrogation, Abu Sufyan confessed to the crime and implicated ten other security personnel under his watch.
The security operatives named in the conspiracy are Zayyanu Musa, Jibrin Abdullahi, Hassan Musa, Micah Adamu, Attahiru Umar, Abdulrahman Usman, Ismaila Ibrahim, Mubarak Husseini, Adamu Abubakar, and Abdullahi Abubakar (alias Zuma).
Further police investigations linked the group to scrap dealers identified as Musa Khalid, Abah Khalid, and Abdullahi, all from Nasarawa village in Mashegu Local Government Area. The dealers were said to have provided heavy equipment, including acetylene gas, to dismantle and cut the stolen metals into sizes for easy transportation. Trucks were reportedly used to move the items at night and during weekends.
“Investigations revealed that these criminal activities have been ongoing since 2023. So far, ₦12.5 million transactions were traced between Abu Sufyan and one of the dealers, while ₦11.5 million was linked to Ibrahim Musa. The stolen items were sold to companies in Lagos, Kwara, and Osun States,” the police disclosed.
The Command added that efforts are underway to apprehend the identified dealers and other accomplices still at large.
This development comes months after the Defence Headquarters, on May 3, 2025, confirmed the arrest of four security operatives allegedly aiding terrorist activities in the North-East. Among them were two members of the hybrid forces deployed to support troops in the fight against insurgency.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, said the arrests were made between April 26 and 29 during operations across Bama, Kukawa, and Madagali Local Government Areas. He noted that the suspects were among four logistics suppliers caught working for terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Police also uncovered a separate case of a staged kidnapping in Minna.
The incident, first reported on September 2, 2025, at the Tudun-Wada Police Division, involved two young men who allegedly faked an abduction in order to defraud their colleagues. Nine suspects were initially arrested, and police recovered 21 SIM cards from Suleiman Dauda, of Mandela area, and Salisu Dauda, of Sahuka Kahuta, Minna.
Investigations later revealed that the group had been operating under the guise of a network marketing scheme known as Quest International Company, which they used to cover up fraudulent internet activities.
With the use of technical intelligence, operatives arrested the supposed kidnap victim, Ahmed Alh. Bura (21), from Bauchi State, alongside his alleged abductor, Shafiu Ibrahim (22), from Makujeri, on September 17, 2025.
“Findings indicated that both suspects attended a car drifting event in the Mandela area and conspired to disappear afterwards. They demanded a ransom of ₦7 million from their colleagues, pretending it was a case of kidnapping,” the police said.
The Command confirmed that the two suspects are in SCID custody in Minna and will be charged in court, along with other members of the syndicate who were previously arrested.
