By correspondent in Minna
The Police Command in Niger state has apprehended a key suspect in connection with a brutal homicide that occurred in the Fadikpe area along the western by-pass of Minna, the state capital in a determined effort to combat rising criminal activities.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu A. Abiodun, 23-year-old Abdurahman Nura from Katsina State was arrested on April 22, 2025, at approximately 10 p.m. for allegedly stabbing one Mohammed Amore to death. Nura, a chocolate vendor at the Abdulkhadir Kure Market in Minna, confessed to the crime during police interrogation.
The incident happened on April 20, 2025, at Angwan-Maiturare near Fadikpe, when vigilante members, including the deceased, attempted to arrest a group of miscreants smoking cannabis by a riverside.
In a bid to resist arrest, Nura allegedly stabbed Amore in the chest with a shoemaker’s needle, resulting in his death before help could arrive.
Nura, along with his accomplices, Abdullahi Rabiu (25), a shoe hawker also from Katsina, and one Buhari (still at large),fled the scene.
Nura was said to have escaped to Abuja but was eventually tracked down with the assistance of community members and relatives.
In the wake of the killing and rising insecurity, the Niger State Government has imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on commercial motorcyclists and tricycles.
Authorities also announced that individuals with dreadlocks or unconventional haircuts would be treated as suspected criminals, detained, and have their hair forcibly shaved.
Further police raids in Chanchaga’s Shango area led to the arrest of 15 additional suspects. Recovered items included cutlasses, sickles, knives, scissors, clubs, and various illicit drugs.
Governor Mohammed Umar Bago defended the stringent measures, emphasizing the need to prioritize the safety of lives and property over individual conveniences.
He called for public cooperation to address the recent surge in violent crime and vowed that law enforcement would intensify operations targeting criminal elements in the state.
The case remains under investigation as police search for the remaining suspect at large.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
