Two Suspected Shilla Boys Arrested in Yola Over Shop Breaking, Phone Snatching

Two young men have been arrested in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, for alleged shop breaking and phone snatching  offences commonly associated with a local criminal group known as Shilla Boys.

The Adamawa State Police Command confirmed on Tuesday that the arrests were made by operatives attached to the Doubeli Divisional Police Headquarters in Yola North Local Government Area as part of an intensified crackdown on Shilla gangsterism and other criminal activities.

In a statement signed by command spokesperson SP Suleiman Nguroje, police said the first suspect, Idris Auwal, 22, a resident of Doubeli Culvert, was arrested on June 3, 2026, in connection with a burglary.

Preliminary investigations revealed that he conspired with three accomplices, currently at large, to break into a shop at Nassarawo Borehole belonging to one Abdullahi Sunusi, carting away a bag containing cash and assorted goods.

In a separate incident on June 5, 2026, operatives apprehended another suspected Shilla gang member who allegedly att@cked and robbed a resident along the Doubeli Bypass.

Armed with a cutlass, the suspect accosted one Abubakar Abdullahi and dispossessed him of an Itel mobile phone and ₦19,000.

The victim sustained injuries during the att@ck but received prompt medical attention following police intervention.

Items recovered from the suspects include a cutlass, a knife, and the stolen mobile phone. Both suspects are currently under investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.