In a crackdown on sexual predators, the Niger State Police Command has arrested 10 suspects for alleged rape and sexual assault on minors, including toddlers as young as three years old.

The arrests, which spanned several local government areas including Minna, Mokwa and Kontagora, were carried out throughout February 2026, uncovering a disturbing pattern of child exploitation across the state where suspects allegedly used candy, family ties, and brute force to prey on the vulnerable.

Leading the list of suspects is 59-year-old Julius Nyikwa, a visually impaired man in Keteren-Gwari, who took advantage of his family relationship to repeatedly defile his 10-year-old niece.

His run ended when the victim’s grandmother caught her entering his room and raised the alarm that alerted the neighborhood.

In a similarly harrowing case in Dutsen-Kura, a father’s intuition saved his six-year-old daughter when he barged into the room of 30-year-old Lawal Abubakar, catching the suspect in the middle of an attempted rape.

The investigations revealed a chilling variety of tactics used by the suspects.

In Kontagora, 40-year-old Jafar Mohammed alias Danlami allegedly weaponised a child’s love for sweets, enticing three young girls with candy before attempting to assault them in an uncompleted building before he was intercepted by neighbours.

In another case, 19-year-old Badamasi Abdullahi reportedly lured a 13-year-old into his uncle’s medicine store in the F-Layout area of Minna, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The suspect confessed to previous sexual acts with the girl.

In Mokwa, 18-year-old Mohammed Umar stands accused of defiling a three-year-old girl in a secluded building, while 22-year-old Usman Haruna Musa was nabbed in Minna after a mother noticed her three-year-old daughter shivering and bleeding after returning from play.

“The victim had earlier gone out to play with other children but while returning home, she was observed by her mother to be shivering and walking abnormally.

“When questioned, she mentioned the suspect, Usman Haruna, whom she referred to as Baba Balki as the one who assaulted her sexually.

“Her clothes were found stained with blood and other substances.

The alarm was immediately raised and the suspect was arrested,” the police bulletin read.

Other suspects currently in the net of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) include 15-year-old Emmanuel Patrick, 20-year-old Lawal Gimba, and 19-year-old Emmanuel Ikechukwu.

Police reports indicate that Gimba is accused of beating and dragging a 12-year-old girl into his room for a forcible assault.

The Niger State Police Command confirmed that the victims were rushed to various medical facilities, including the Police Clinic and General Hospital Mokwa, for urgent care.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed these arrests, said while some suspects like Jafar Mohammed had already been charged to court and remanded in a correctional centre, the Command has vowed that all others will face the full weight of the law once investigations are concluded. (The Nation)