BY CHRISTOPHER DANIELS—At last 14 suspects have been arrested by the operatives of the Niger State Police Command in two separate high-profile cases, a massive theft and vandalism at the Kainji Power Plant valued at over ₦4.8 billion, and a staged kidnap designed to extort ₦7 million ransom.
The Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the development through a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday, said the first case, which began with a complaint from Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd on August 11, 2025, uncovered a long-running conspiracy by security staff at the Kainji Power Plant.
“An inspection at the navigation lock yard of the Kainji power plant revealed that some navigation lock metals and beams worth billions were vandalised and carted away by unknown persons. Following this, two supervisors at the plant were arrested and transferred to SCID Minna,” the statement read.
The suspects, identified as Shaibu Abu Sufyan (35) and Ibrahim Musa (31), initially denied involvement. However, Abu Sufyan later confessed and implicated ten other security personnel under his supervision. They include Zayyanu Musa, Jibrin Abdullahi, Hassan Musa, Micah Adamu, Attahiru Umar, Abdulrahman Usman, Ismaila Ibrahim, Mubarak Husseini, Adamu Abubakar, and Abdullahi Abubakar (aka Zuma).
Abiodun stated in the statement that Investigations further revealed that the group conspired with scrap dealers Musa Khalid, Abah Khalid, and Abdullahi in Nasarawa village, Mashegu LGA. The dealers, police said, mobilised heavy equipment to dismantle metals using acetylene gas, cut them into sizes, and transport them in trucks during weekends at night.
“These criminal activities have been ongoing since 2023. So far, ₦12.5 million transactions were traced between Abu Sufyan and one of the dealers, while ₦11.5 million was linked to Ibrahim Musa. The stolen items were sold to companies in Lagos, Kwara, and Osun States,” police disclosed.
The state police image-maker also confirmed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the dealers and other collaborators.
