The Niger State Police Command has apprehended 14 individuals linked to two significant criminal investigations: a massive theft and destruction incident at the Kainji Power Plant valued at over ₦4.8 billion, and a fabricated kidnapping scheme aimed at extorting ₦7 million.
On Wednesday, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the Public Relations Officer for the Command, revealed that the initial complaint was lodged on August 11, 2025, by Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd., the company managing the Kainji Hydro Power Plant.
During a thorough inspection of the plant’s navigation lock yard, authorities discovered that numerous metal components and beams, worth billions of naira, had been vandalized and stolen.
Subsequently, two supervisors working at the facility were detained and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further questioning.
The suspects, Shaibu Abu Sufyan (35) and Ibrahim Musa (31), initially denied any wrongdoing. However, Abu Sufyan later admitted guilt and implicated ten other security personnel under his supervision.
The implicated officers include Zayyanu Musa, Jibrin Abdullahi, Hassan Musa, Micah Adamu, Attahiru Umar, Abdulrahman Usman, Ismaila Ibrahim, Mubarak Husseini, Adamu Abubakar, and Abdullahi Abubakar, also known as Zuma.
Further inquiries connected the group to scrap dealers Musa Khalid, Abah Khalid, and Abdullahi from Nasarawa village in Mashegu Local Government Area. These dealers allegedly supplied heavy-duty tools, such as acetylene gas, to dismantle and cut the stolen metals into manageable pieces for transport. The stolen materials were reportedly moved under the cover of night and on weekends using trucks.
“Our investigations uncovered that these illicit activities have been ongoing since 2023. Records show ₦12.5 million exchanged between Abu Sufyan and one dealer, while Ibrahim Musa was linked to ₦11.5 million. The stolen metals were sold to firms located in Lagos, Kwara, and Osun States,” the police disclosed.
The Command is actively pursuing the arrest of the scrap dealers and other collaborators who remain at large.
This case emerges just months after the Defence Headquarters announced on May 3, 2025, the detention of four security personnel suspected of supporting terrorist operations in the North-East. Among those arrested were two hybrid force members assigned to assist troops combating insurgency.
Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the arrests occurred between April 26 and 29 during missions in Bama, Kukawa, and Madagali Local Government Areas. The suspects were identified as logistics providers aiding terrorist groups.
In a separate development, the Niger State Police uncovered a fraudulent kidnapping plot in Minna.
Reported on September 2, 2025, at the Tudun-Wada Police Division, the case involved two young men who staged their own abduction to deceive their peers. Nine suspects were initially detained, and police seized 21 SIM cards from Suleiman Dauda of Mandela area and Salisu Dauda of Sahuka Kahuta, Minna.
Further investigation revealed the group operated under the pretense of a network marketing business called Quest International Company, which served as a front for their online scams.
Utilizing technical intelligence, officers arrested the alleged kidnapping victim, Ahmed Alh. Bura (21) from Bauchi State, along with his supposed kidnapper, Shafiu Ibrahim (22) from Makujeri, on September 17, 2025.
“Evidence showed that both suspects attended a car drifting event in Mandela and conspired to vanish afterward. They demanded ₦7 million ransom from their associates, falsely claiming it was a kidnapping,” the police confirmed.
The suspects are currently held at SCID in Minna and will face prosecution alongside other members of the fraudulent network previously apprehended.
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