Police nab suspected robbers with toy guns in Niger

Operatives of the Niger State Police Command have arrested two suspected armed robbers allegedly found with three toy pistols and 16 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards in Minna.

SP Wasiu Abiodun, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Minna.

Abiodun said the suspects were arrested at about 11:00 p.m. on July 14 by a police surveillance patrol team attached to the Tudun-Wada Division.

He said the suspects were intercepted in a tricycle near the M.I. Wushishi Estate junction, where a search led to the recovery of three plastic pistols and 16 expired ATM cards belonging to different banks.

According to him, the suspects claimed during interrogation that they found the ATM cards while scavenging in Lagos State.

The police spokesperson, however, said that the suspects were strongly believed to have been using the toy pistols to rob unsuspecting residents around the M.I. Wushishi Estate area, adding that investigations were ongoing.

In a related development, Abiodun said police operatives attached to the Tudun-Wada Division arrested five suspected thugs during a sting operation in the Sabon-Titi area of Tunga, Minna.

The PPRO said exhibits recovered from the suspects included a bag containing suspected cannabis, two knives, three cutlasses and two other dangerous weapons.

He said the suspects claimed the weapons were meant for a Maulud celebration and admitted they usually engaged in clashes with youths from the Tunga-Maje area.

Abiodun said the suspects remained in police custody while investigations continued. (NAN)

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