The Niger State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with the alleged mob killing of a 30-year-old man, Sunday Pada, in Minna, the state capital.
The suspects, identified as Ibrahim Abubakar, Aliyu Onah, Godwin Musa and Aminu Bawa, all residents of the Korokpan area of Minna, were accused of beating and stabbing Pada to death.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this on Thursday, saying the suspects were being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna.
Abiodun said the suspects were being investigated for alleged criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
According to him, the incident occurred on August 10, 2026, after the police received information that Pada, a resident of Gogala Village in Shiroro Local Government Area, had been attacked in the Korokpan area.
He said police officers attached to the Paiko Division were dispatched to the scene but arrived after the suspects had fled.
The victim was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Abiodun said a breakthrough was recorded on August 12 when some of the suspects were discovered in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency following a raid in the area.
He explained that three suspects were handed over to the police by the NDLEA, while another suspect was arrested by the police.
The police spokesman said preliminary investigation revealed that Pada was returning from a friend’s house when an alarm was raised accusing someone of being a thief.
He said the suspects allegedly intercepted Pada, assaulted him and later stabbed him.
“During investigation, it was revealed that the deceased was coming from a friend’s house, and the suspects claimed that somebody raised an alarm, shouting thief, thereby intercepted the said Sunday Pada, beat him up seriously and later stabbed him to death,” Abiodun said.
The four suspects remain in police custody as investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The command said the suspects would face further legal action upon completion of the investigation.