At least four suspects who claim to have stolen over 500 goats around parts of Minna, the Niger State capital are in custody of the State Police command for allegedly conspiring and stealing.
It was gathered that the suspects have been in the business of stealing goats from their owners for over five years.
However, they ran out of luck on Monday in the Kpakungu-Soje area, a suburb of Minna, which resulted in their arrest.
The syndicate was nabbed by the police at about 1pm last week after information from credible sources revealed their activities.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the arrest in Minna, said the suspects were intercepted in a vehicle, a Honda Civic with Reg. No. MNA 342 AA, usually used for whisking the animals away from crime scenes around the Shiroro Hotel area of the town.
He explained that during interrogation, the suspects claimed that goats stolen from their owners were usually sold between N10,000 to N15,000, depending on the size, to butchers in Maitumbi and Tunga areas of Minna.
The suspects include Shehu Buhari 25yrs , Musa Idris 40yrs both of Barkin-Sale, Minna and Idrisu Aliyu (Dagrin) 22yrs of Kaffintela, Minna, while the fourth member is currently at large.
They also claimed they have been committing the crime in Minna as their main source of survival for the past five years and have so far stolen over 500 goats at different locations in Minna.
According to him, ” Idris Dagrin’s vehicle, Honda Civic, is always being used to convey the animals”.
Following their confession, the Police PRO revealed that two receivers, including one Murtala Dan-Azumi of Tunga was arrested while efforts are ongoing to apprehend Hussaini Yahaya, Labaran Hussaini.
The cases are under investigation and all suspects will be arraigned in court for prosecution immediately after the investigation.