Fake EFCC Operatives arrested in Niger State

The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of three suspects who impersonated operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to abduct and rob students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) University, Lapai.

In a statement issued on Friday in Minna, the command’s spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed that two informants who aided the suspects were also apprehended.

According to SP Abiodun, the police received a distress call at approximately 8:00 pm on 13th May, reporting that four men, posing as EFCC officials, had raided an off-campus student residence, abducted two students, and stolen five mobile phones.

The suspects allegedly transported their victims in a Toyota Corolla bearing registration number ABJ 245 CU.

Police officers from the Lapai Division swiftly mobilised and intercepted the suspects along Suleja Road, near Kwakuti, resulting in the arrest of three individuals: Emmanuel Linus, 30, from Deidei; Hyelda Aliyu, 28, from Nyanya; and Abduljallid Tanko, 33, from Karu, all residents of Abuja.

One suspect, identified as Alfa James, reportedly escaped during the operation.

During interrogation, the suspects admitted to using counterfeit EFCC identification cards, fabricated at a business centre in Nyanya, and employing electric tasers disguised as firearms to commit the offence.

“They admitted to abducting the students, initially demanding a ransom of 10 million naira, which they later reduced to 500,000 naira before being intercepted by the police,” stated SP Abiodun.

The command also detained their informants, Mohammed Hassan and Hamisu Adamu, both residents of Angwan-Hausa in Lapai, who reportedly provided information on the students’ location.

Further investigations revealed that one of the suspects, Emmanuel Linus, is a dismissed soldier with a criminal record, having previously served a two-year prison sentence.

The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation, after which the suspects will be brought before the court.