A 32-year-old man has been arrested by the Niger State Police Command after a stolen Toyota Rav4 was recovered in the Maje area of Minna.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Minna, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the suspect was apprehended at a police stop-and-search point under the Maje bridge.
The vehicle’s owner, a resident of the Brighter area of Minna, had parked the car—bearing registration number CE 225 RBC—along Shiroro Road around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday to make photocopies.
Upon returning, he discovered the car had been stolen and immediately reported the incident to the Tudun-Wada Police Division. The command quickly circulated an alert to all police divisions.
Around noon the same day, officers at the Maje checkpoint intercepted the stolen vehicle and arrested the suspect, who hails from Kofar-Dibi in Katsina State.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to being hired by a criminal syndicate based in Abuja to steal the vehicle and deliver it to Dikko Junction.
He also claimed involvement in similar thefts in Zaria, Kaduna, and Minna, transporting stolen vehicles to various drop-off points across northern Nigeria.
In a separate development, Abiodun disclosed that the command conducted a series of raids on criminal hideouts in Minna, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects and the recovery of five bags of suspected cannabis.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Sunday and Monday by officers from the Central Police Division and local vigilantes, targeted blackspots in Paida, Sabon-Gari, Gwari Market, and Abdulsalam Quarters.
According to Abiodun, the cannabis was found in a residence in Abdulsalam Quarters. An 18-year-old suspect at the scene claimed the drugs belonged to a man who is currently at large.
Three additional suspects were arrested in Barkin-Sale, Kasuwan-Gwari, and Market areas.
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All suspects are currently in custody and under investigation. They will be charged to court upon the conclusion of inquiries.
