The Niger State Police Command has busted a syndicate behind the alleged theft and vandalism of critical facilities at the Kainji Power Plant valued at over ₦4.8 billion. Fourteen suspects, including security personnel and scrap dealers, have been arrested in connection with the crime.
Police spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Wednesday, revealing that the operation followed a petition lodged by Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, operators of the plant, on August 11, 2025.
“An inspection at the navigation lock yard of the Kainji Power Plant revealed that navigation lock metals and beams worth billions of naira were vandalised and carted away by unknown persons. Following this, two supervisors at the plant were arrested and transferred to SCID Minna,” Abiodun said.
The supervisors, identified as Shaibu Abu Sufyan (35) and Ibrahim Musa (31), initially denied involvement but later confessed. Abu Sufyan named ten other security operatives under his command as accomplices.
Those indicted include Zayyanu Musa, Jibrin Abdullahi, Hassan Musa, Micah Adamu, Attahiru Umar, Abdulrahman Usman, Ismaila Ibrahim, Mubarak Husseini, Adamu Abubakar, and Abdullahi Abubakar (aka Zuma).
Further investigations linked the group to scrap dealers — Musa Khalid, Abah Khalid, and Abdullahi — based in Nasarawa village, Mashegu LGA. Police disclosed that the dealers deployed heavy equipment and acetylene gas to cut and move the stolen metals at night and during weekends.
“These criminal activities have been ongoing since 2023. So far, ₦12.5 million transactions were traced between Abu Sufyan and one of the dealers, while ₦11.5 million was linked to Ibrahim Musa. The stolen items were sold to companies in Lagos, Kwara, and Osun States,” Abiodun added.
He confirmed that efforts are underway to arrest the scrap dealers and other collaborators.
In a separate development, the police uncovered a staged kidnapping in Minna, where two young men faked their own abduction to extort ₦7 million from their colleagues.
According to police, the case was first reported as a kidnapping on September 2, 2025, at the Tudun-Wada Division, leading to the arrest of nine suspects linked to fraudulent activities under a supposed network marketing firm, Quest Int’l Company.
The supposed victim, Ahmed Alh. Bura (21) of Bauchi State, and his accomplice, Shafiu Ibrahim (22) of Makujeri, were later arrested on September 17 after technical intelligence exposed the scheme.
“Findings indicated that both suspects attended a car drifting event at Mandela area and conspired to disappear afterwards. They demanded a ransom of ₦7 million from their colleagues in the guise of a kidnapping,” police said.
Both suspects are now in SCID custody and will be charged alongside others already arrested.
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