A mobile police officer, Jido Ahmed, has been arrested over his alleged involvement in an armed robbery attack that resulted in the death of a fuel attendant in Kontagora LGA of Niger State.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the suspect is attached to the 61 Police Mobile Force (PMF) in Kontagora but was reportedly on special duty in Agwara at the time of the incident.
Citing sources within the Niger State Police Command, the publication said the attack occurred around 2:40pm on Wednesday following a distress call about a robbery at Garun Mallam filling station, located behind BCG Garage in Kontagora.
Police sources disclosed that two armed men — one allegedly dressed in a mobile police uniform and riding a motorcycle — carried out the attack after purchasing fuel and demanding money from the attendant.
“When the attendant, identified as 20-year-old Jibrin Inuwa of Garun Mallam, resisted, one of the suspects shot him in the chest and fled with an undisclosed sum of money,” a source was quoted as saying.
The victim was rushed to the General Hospital in Kontagora, “where he was confirmed dead,” before his remains were released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Security operatives later tracked the suspects to the Dadinkowa area, behind a vigilante office, where a gun battle ensued.
“Following the attack, police patrol teams from ‘A’ Division Kontagora, led by the divisional police officer, trailed the suspects… where they were engaged in a gun duel,” the report stated.
One of the suspects was eventually subdued during the exchange.
“He was eventually overpowered, shot in the leg, disarmed, and arrested,” the publication said.
The injured suspect was initially taken to the General Hospital in Kontagora before being transferred to the Police Clinic in Minna for further treatment.
An AK-47 rifle bearing the number 38262, along with 12 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, was reportedly recovered from the suspect.
Authorities said efforts are ongoing to apprehend the second suspect who remains at large, while investigations continue.
When contacted, Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, declined to provide further details.
“Let me get back to you as soon as I get details,” Abiodun said.
