From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Police Command says it has arrested six suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in Doma Local Government Area, alongside an armed herder in Keana, in what it described as a major breakthrough in the fight against violent crime.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspects were apprehended following a raid on a notorious criminal hideout at Yelwa Ediya by operatives of Doma Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, acting on credible intelligence from a patriotic citizen.
Those arrested include Darda’u Shehu, Yunusa Malami Hashimu, Musa Abubakar, Ibrahim Musa, and Mohammed Musa, all of Yelwa Ediya Village in Doma LGA.
“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the May 26, 2025 kidnapping of a serving councillor (name withheld), during which they stole an Infinix Note 30 valued at ₦250,000 and a Tecno handset valued at ₦20,000,” Nansel said.
He added that the suspects also admitted to mounting a roadblock along the Doma–Yelwa road on July 19, 2025, at about 9:00 a.m., where they attacked one Ibrahim Haruna of Yelwa Ediya and snatched his Bajaj motorcycle worth ₦970,000, which was later sold through one of the suspects.
Police recovered ₦100,000 — proceeds from the sale of the motorcycle, which had been buried in the bush — and one Bajaj motorcycle during the operation.
In a related incident, police in Keana arrested a 20-year-old herder, Suleman Mohammadu, at about 12:30 a.m. on August 10, 2025, following a distress call from residents of Gidan Zaki Hassan, Kuduku, over herders grazing on farmlands.
“When confronted by locals, the herders opened fire before fleeing. The police, with the help of community members, apprehended the suspect and recovered one AK-47 magazine loaded with six live rounds of ammunition,” the PPRO stated.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Shettima Jauro Mohammed, ordered that all suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation and prosecution.
He reiterated the Command’s resolve to rid the state of criminal elements. “There will be no hiding place for criminals in Nasarawa State. We will continue to go after them until our communities are safe,” CP Mohammed said.
He urged residents to remain law-abiding and provide timely and credible information to aid police operations.
