Niger Police Arrest Illegal Firearms Suspects in separate incidents involving a locally made pistol and shooting in Suleja.

Niger Police Arrest Illegal Firearms Suspects in two separate incidents involving unlawful possession of weapons and an attempted culpable homicide, the state command confirmed on Monday.

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The Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the arrests underscore the command’s intensified effort to combat illegal arms circulation and violent crime across Niger State.

According to the statement, a police patrol team attached to the New-Bussa Division, working jointly with vigilante members, apprehended 40-year-old Yahaya Dashu of Daba area, New-Bussa, along Luma-Wawa Road on Friday, October 9.

Abiodun disclosed that the suspect was caught with a locally made pistol and one live cartridge.

During questioning, Dashu admitted ownership of the firearm, claiming it was for his personal protection and that he had purchased it from a blacksmith in Babana, Borgu Local Government Area.

He has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for deeper investigation and possible prosecution.

In a separate case, on October 13, at about 8:30 a.m., officers from the Maje Division responded to a distress call at Suleja Junction after a shooting incident involving a member of a local hunters group.

Investigations revealed that 26-year-old Shuaibu Adamu of Kaduna Road allegedly shot 46-year-old Adamu Saidu, a commercial driver, in the back with a locally made revolver.

Police operatives quickly arrived at the scene, rescued the victim, and took him to the General Hospital, Suleja, for urgent medical treatment. The suspect was subsequently arrested with the weapon recovered from him.

“The suspect is under investigation,” Abiodun said, adding that both incidents highlight the command’s commitment to ridding the state of illegal weapons and upholding public safety.

The Niger State Police Command affirmed that investigations into both cases are ongoing and that the suspects will face prosecution in accordance with the law.