Four teenagers aged between 19 and 22 have been arrested by the police in Minna, Niger State, for allegedly killing a photographer, Zaccheaus Salawudeen, during a robbery at his residence in February this year.

The deceased, a 33-year-old resident of Tudun-Fulani in Minna, was reportedly attacked by a gang of five. One of the attackers, identified as Danladi, who is still at large, stabbed the victim to death after robbing him of ?95,000.

The suspects In custody are Mustapha Ibrahim, alias Sniper (19), Shamson Rabiu (21), Bashar Aliyu, alias Gizo (20), and Abdullahi Umar (19).

Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, confirmed the incident. According to him, the gang had gathered on February 27 at Rafin-Yashin, where they learned that the deceased had received a significant sum of money. They decided to attack him at his residence later that night.

?During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime. They narrated that after robbing Zaccheaus of ?95,000, they felt dissatisfied with the amount and believed he had lied about the actual sum. One of them, Danladi, then stabbed the victim in the stomach,? SP Wasiu revealed.

The Investigation also uncovered that on August 9, 2024, the same gang attacked another residence in Rafin-Yashin. The victim initially refused to open his door but was threatened with the fate of the deceased photographer. After opening the door, he was severely injured with machete cuts but survived the attack.

The police had been tracking the suspects since February. On October 26, four of the suspects were arrested by the Crack Squad Unit at the River Basin area of Minna. Items recovered from them included two knives, five wraps of suspected cannabis, alcohol, matches, and abandoned slippers.

SP Wasiu assured the public that efforts to apprehend the fifth suspect, Danladi, were ongoing.

In a separate incident, one Mohammed Usman was arrested on November 20 for possession of a locally made revolver pistol with four 9mm live rounds.

The suspect was intercepted during a routine stop-and-search operation by the Police Operation Flush patrol team at Imrat Junction in Bosso. Usman, a passenger in a tricycle traveling from Sabon-Daga to Beji, claimed he purchased the pistol from a friend, Abubakar, who has since relocated to Nasarawa State. He stated that the firearm was for personal security.

Usman is currently in police custody, and further investigations are ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna. (Vanguard)

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