Barely a week after a senior police officer allegedly took his own life over suspected arms dealings, tragedy has again struck the Niger State Police Command following the death of a serving Police Inspector linked to similar allegations.
The Inspector, identified as John Moses and attached to the Niger State Government House in Minna, reportedly died while in detention after his arrest over alleged involvement in the supply of arms and ammunition to bandits and other criminal elements operating in the state.
Moses, an indigene of Shiroro Local Government Area, was said to be in custody with other suspects when the incident occurred on Sunday. He had been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal arms trafficking allegedly involving some police personnel.
The development comes just days after the Officer in Charge of the Mopol 12 armoury at the B Division Police Command on Paikoro Road, Minna, DSP Isah Abdullahi, was found dead following his arrest over similar allegations of illegal arms dealings with bandits and other hoodlums.
DSP Abdullahi was reportedly arrested alongside four other police personnel, including Inspector Moses. While the late DSP was detained at a separate facility, Moses was being held with other suspects linked to the alleged arms transactions.
Sources said the Inspector died inside the detention facility while other detainees were present, triggering renewed concern over the unfolding scandal within the command.
A source close to the investigation told our correspondent that preliminary findings indicated that a large sum of money, allegedly running into hundreds of millions of naira, was discovered in the Inspector’s bank account, although investigations are still ongoing.
The source further alleged that, aside from the funds in his account, the late Inspector was linked to multiple properties within the state and was also involved in the timber business.
He was also alleged to own two sawmills and several tree-cutting machines used for illegal logging activities, with over 50 workers said to be under his payroll.
However, reacting to the claims, the Niger State Police Command dismissed the allegations as unverified.
When contacted, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said, “These are mere speculations. The case is under the National Security Adviser (NSA).”
Investigations into the alleged arms dealings and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the officers are said to be continuing at the national level.
