Nigeria Police operatives from the Tudun Wada Division of the Niger State Police Command have arrested 16 suspects for thuggery, disturbing public peace, and possession of dangerous weapons and cannabis.
This operation was part of the police high command's efforts to address the recent surge in phone snatching and attacks on unsuspecting members of the public within Minna metropolis.
According to a press release by the State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Wasiu Abidoun, the arrests were made following a tip-off about miscreants and thugs spotted along Eastern Bye-Pass, near the PDP Secretariat in Minna. Police operatives from Tudun Wada Division were dispatched to the area for surveillance and monitoring.
During the operation, 16 suspects were found in a hotel room in the vicinity and were arrested. The police recovered two cutlasses, two knives, cannabis, shushi, and injection substances as exhibits.
The arrested suspects include Hafis Yakubu (24), Alhassan Aliyu (15), Abubakar Aminu (15), Badamasi Abdulmunini (16), Hassan Sani (14), Fahad Idris (14), and Abubakar Yusuf (15).
The suspects claimed they were at the hotel to celebrate Hafis Yakubu's birthday and that the dangerous weapons were for their protection against Kafintella youths, with whom they have had ongoing conflicts.
All suspects are currently under investigation at the Tudun Wada Division of the Nigeria Police, Niger State Command, and will be prosecuted in court following the investigation.