Niger Goes Tough on Thugs, Orders their Instant Arrests
Laleye Dipo in Minna
Following a week of unrest occasioned by the activities of ‘Area Boys’ in Minna, the Niger State Government has declared total war against these undesirable elements, instructing the police to hunt them and their collaborators.
This is even as the police claim it has apprehended over 50 of the youths in connection with three days of unrests in parts of Minna, the state capital. The state Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, who issued directives to the police last Sunday also told officials of the state Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, officials of the Department of State Security (DSS), ward and village heads to mount serious hunt for the miscreants that have been tormenting the state capital.
Similarly, Garba instructed these security operatives “to intensify operations in identified flashpoints, apprehend those involved in criminal activities, and restore peace to the state capital and surrounding communities.”
The deputy governor warned that any community found to harbor or conceal criminal elements without reporting to the authorities should be made to face the consequences, adding that village heads and parents of the perpetrators “may be held accountable” for the crimes committed by their subjects and children.
Meanwhile not less than 23 suspects were arrested at the weekend from various locations in Minna in connection with the three-day disturbance in some parts of the state capital.
Those arrested, according to different statements made available to journalists last Sunday by the state Police Command Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, were caught with dangerous weapons including knives, daggers and drugs suspected to be cannabis sativa.
Abiodun said most of the suspects were aged between 19 and 22, adding that they have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Bureau (SCIB) for investigation after which they would be charged to court.
In a related development, Abiodun disclosed that 23 suspects were also arrested at a hotel within Tunga area last week “with shisha smoking apparatus” and other illicit drugs and cannabis, while thirteen others were arrested within the community with dangerous weapons.
