By YAHAYA ISAH

The Police Command in Niger State says it has arrested eight suspects for illegal mining and armed robbery in Minna.

This was contained in a statement by the Command?s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, on Saturday in Minna.

According to him, on Aug. 18, at about 4:00 p.m., Police operatives of the Central Police Station, Minna, led by its Divisional Police Officer (DPO), carried out a sting operation at an illegal mining site around Mechanic Bye-pass, Minna.

The Police spokesperson explained that during the operation, the following suspects were arrested: Samaila Nuhu, 20, Ahmad Mohammed, 17, Musa Aliyu, 20, and Umar Salihu, 47.

He said suspects were arrested with three diggers, six shovels and ten headpans, while others fled from the scene.

Abiodun said the suspects were under investigation and would be prosecuted accordingly.

The police spokesperson added that similarly, on Aug. 19, at 2:00 p.m., some victims of robbery from Fadama Mandela Road, Sauka-Kahuta Minna, reported at Tudun-Wada Police Division that on Aug. 18, about 8:00 p.m., about 16 suspected robbers attacked them in the area and dispossess them of valuable items.

?The items allegedly carted away during the robbery include: one mobile phone valued at about N75,000, the sum of N158,000 cash and foodstuffs, while one of the victims was stabbed on the left leg with a knife,? he said.

Abiodun said in the course of investigation with technical intelligence, four suspects were arrested in connection with the crime.

?The suspects include: Mahmud Mohammed, Abubakar Musa, Amadu Umar and Abdulkadir Suleiman, all of Sauka-Kahuta, Minna.

?The injured victim equally identified the suspects as members of the gang that attacked them and the following items were recovered.

?The items include: Two SIM cards in the mobile phones that was snatched, three screw drivers, two knives, three cutlasses and charms,? Abiodun said.

He said that the suspects had all been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Minna for further investigation and efforts were in progress to arrest others still at large. (NAN)

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