Niger State police command has arrested seven suspects for various offences including a juvenile for alleged culpable homicide.
Also arrested is one Mohammed Abubakar who was found with the phone of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a university lecturer murdered last year in which the housemaid, Joy Afekafe, was arrested and prosecuted.
Until her murder on Saturday, October 28, 2023, Adefolalu was an associate professor, Department of Biochemistry at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.
She was found the next day Sunday dead in her room in the Gbaiko area of Minna.
The command’s police public relations officer, Wasiu Abiodun said police operatives attached to Bosso Division also arrested one Yakubu Tanko, 19 years, of Tudun-Fulani area of Minna for killing one Sikiru Tajudeen, 14, of the same area.
He said the deceased was reported missing at Bosso Division, but his school uniform trouser, a stick and a stone were found with suspected blood stains in his room.
Information received from the community indicated that a strange odour was being perceived from a septic tank within the area, and after a proper check by the police, a tied sack was found in the tank, evacuated and discovered to be the lifeless body of Tajudeen.
“Further findings from the community pointed to Yakubu Tanko and he was immediately arrested.
“During interrogation, he confessed to the homicide of the deceased who was his friend. He stated that he met Sikiru in the room while sleeping and he picked a stick from the kitchen, which he used to hit the deceased on the head.
He said blood gushed out and he left the scene immediately.”
Similarly, Wasiu said in furtherance of the commitment of the command to stem crime and criminality, another suspect was arrested in Mandela area of Minna with three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles. The man was attempting to sell one of the rifles when he was arrested.
He said in the course of investigation, the suspect led the police team to a residence within Mandela area, where he claimed he was working as a guard and two other rifles were recovered from the premises where he hid them.
According to him, the suspect confessed that he is a welder at Kuta and has been working with one Bala, who is at large.
He said that the suspect told the police that Bala specialised in carving the wooden parts of the rifles, while he fabricated the iron parts.
The PPRO added that police operatives attached to Zungeru Division and local vigilante members, had arrested three suspects, Mohammed Abdullahi Chumo, Aliyu Salihu and Arzika Ahmadu, who conspired and rustled 132 rams from two victims who were grazing the rams in Manigi area of Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.