Yahaya Mohammed, a vigilante who allegedly killed a commercial motorcycle rider before robbing him of his motorcycle, was paraded by the Niger State police command on Monday.
Along with Mohammed, 37 other individuals who were reportedly involved in a variety of criminal acts were paraded.
Abiodun Wasiu, the command’s spokesman, stated that while parading the suspects, an investigation was being conducted to fully understand the circumstances of the crime before bringing the defendants before a judge.
“Police were notified of a dead person with a slit throat and a pool of blood in the Shabalile neighborhood of Mokwa. Police officers arrived on the spot and moved the body to the hospital morgue under the direction of DPO Mokwa Division.
“During the course of the inquiry, on 2/10/2023 at around 1130 hours, a Bajaj motorcycle thought to have been stolen from the deceased was found in an unfinished structure in Mokwa. The investigation also resulted in the arrest of Usman Yahaya Muhammed, 20 years old, of Kinboku-Kudu village in Mokwa.
“During questioning, the suspect admitted to the crime and claimed that he had taken a motorcycle to the village of Eppa before stopping the rider and killing him with a machete.
“He left the body behind and rode off on the motorcycle. Case being looked into by SCID Minna, according to Wasiu.
The suspect would be charged with culpable homicide after the investigation, the official said.
Mohammed, who admitted to the act, sobbed while telling news reporters that he had no idea why he had done it and that he did not want to die.
In a related development, Wasiu reported that the police were informed that Fatima Mohammed, of the Jamata neighborhood in Lokoja, Kogi State, had been seen there with an additional unidentified person. Both had been discovered in possession of an AK-47 rifle, fourteen rounds of live ammunition, and two magazines.
So, local vigilantes and police officers from the Ibeto Police outpost mobilized to the spot. Unfortunately, a vengeful mob murdered the unidentified person and the aforementioned Fatima Mohammed before the police team could arrive.
“However, as the bodies were being transported to Ibeto General Hospital, the AK-47 weapon with live ammunition was discovered. Investigative work is ongoing.
The police further revealed that on October 1st, while conducting a regular stop and search along the Kontagora-Lagos route, police officers assigned to “B” Division Kontagora found a sack bag that had been left behind by a passenger.
“When the suspect noticed the police squad, he started to run. Two Danish firearms and one locally made AK-47 rifle were found when the bag was inspected. An increased effort is being made to catch the runaway suspect, he said.