A 30-year-old man, Sunday Pada, has been beaten and stabbed to death by a mob in the Korokpan area of Minna, Niger State, following an allegation that he was a thief.
The Niger State Police Command said four suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the command also arrested 15 other suspects in separate operations across the state for alleged theft, vandalism, extortion, fraud and other offences.
According to Abiodun, the incident occurred on August 10, 2026, after an alarm was raised accusing Pada of being a thief.
He said operatives attached to the Paiko Police Division were alerted and immediately proceeded to the area, but the alleged attackers had fled before their arrival.
The victim was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Abiodun said three suspects were initially found in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency following a raid in the area and were later handed over to the police, while another suspect was arrested separately.
The suspects were identified as Ibrahim Abubakar, Aliyu Onah, Godwin Musa and Aminu Bawa, all residents of the Korokpan area of Minna.
The police spokesman said preliminary investigation revealed that Pada was returning from a friend’s house when someone allegedly raised an alarm accusing him of being a thief.
He said the suspects allegedly intercepted the deceased, subjected him to severe beating and subsequently stabbed him.
The four suspects are currently being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Minna, for alleged criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
Meanwhile, the command said its tactical team recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition along a suspected bandits’ route around Krusha-Genu village in Rijau Local Government Area.
The recovery, according to Abiodun, was made on August 15 following credible intelligence.
He said the recovered items included an AK-47 rifle with a magazine containing 19 rounds of live ammunition, another empty magazine and 55 rounds of GPMG anti-aircraft ammunition.
Abiodun said the weapons and ammunition had been taken into police custody for forensic examination while joint clearance operations in the area had been intensified.
In another operation, three suspects were arrested in connection with the alleged theft of goats and other animals in the Gidan-Kwano area.
The suspects, Danlami Ali, 45; Sabastine Masangu, 49; and Masaud Abdullahi, 35, were intercepted in a black tinted Volkswagen vehicle.
Animal skins suspected to have been stolen were reportedly recovered from the vehicle.
The PPRO said investigation established that the suspects allegedly specialised in stealing goats and other animals in the community using the tinted vehicle.
The command also arrested four suspects over alleged criminal conspiracy, extortion and fraud linked to a purported QNET online investment scheme.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly lured a victim from Kano to Minna with a fake job offer before taking him to a house in the Farm Centre area.
The victim was allegedly pressured to pay N200,000 for an online investment despite insisting that he had travelled to Minna for employment.
The police alleged that the suspects intimidated the victim and compelled him to transfer the money to an account belonging to one Aminu Bello.
After allegedly demanding another N200,000, which the victim refused to pay, the suspects reportedly slapped him.
The victim eventually escaped while the suspects were observing prayer and was intercepted by the police, where he narrated his ordeal.
Similarly, two suspects were arrested in separate cases involving the alleged theft of goods from articulated vehicles along the Mokwa-Jebba road.
In one case, Ibrahim Mohammed was arrested after suspected thieves allegedly abandoned him while attempting to steal cartons of spaghetti from a parked truck at Kpaki village.
The truck driver, who had reportedly stopped for morning prayers, alerted the police after noticing the suspects.
Abiodun said the suspects fled upon sighting the police but left Mohammed behind, leading to his arrest.
In another case, Abdulhakeem Sani was arrested after police received information about suspected stolen goods being offloaded at a residence in Lafiagi village.
Cartons of Nestle beverages were recovered from the premises, while the owner of the goods was later identified and contacted.
The command further arrested six suspects over alleged shop-breaking, theft and receiving of stolen property following the disappearance of truck spare parts worth N600,000 from a spare parts dealer’s shop.
The police said Mohammed Hassan was first arrested and allegedly confessed to the offence, leading investigators to five other suspects.
All the stolen items were reportedly recovered, while the suspects remained in custody as investigators worked to identify other members of the alleged syndicate.
The police also recovered two 1,000KVA transformers allegedly stolen from the Federal Housing Estate, Tungan-Shanu.
Abiodun said the transformers were recovered after officers intercepted a Hijet vehicle transporting the equipment during stop-and-search operations along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and Maje-Dikko Road.
The driver, Bilyaminu Jibrin, allegedly told investigators that he had been contracted by a man identified as Yahaya Nepa to transport the transformers to Jabi, Abuja.
Further investigation reportedly led to Yahaya’s arrest. The police said he confessed to purchasing the transformers from Saddam Mohammed, a security guard attached to the estate.
According to the command, the transformers were allegedly bought for N750,000 each.
Another security guard, Samuel Adedeji, was also arrested, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other persons suspected to be involved.
Abiodun said all the suspects and recovered exhibits remained in police custody as investigations continued.
He added that the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations.