Niger State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old man accused of posing as a medical doctor and administering drugs and injections to unsuspecting residents in the Kontagora area of the state.
The suspect, Aminu Yusuf of Unguwan-Tukura, Kontagora, was arrested on August 24 following what the police described as credible information.
According to the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Wasiu Abiodun, Yusuf had been presenting himself in the community as a medical doctor despite having no medical background or relevant medical documents.
He said preliminary investigation showed that the suspect had allegedly administered medications to several people, collecting N30,000 from each of them.
The PPRO disclosed that the suspect is currently undergoing further investigation and will be charged to court for prosecution.
In a separate operation, the command arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate allegedly operating across several parts of Minna and recovered a Beretta pistol and two rounds of live ammunition.
The arrests followed a robbery operation at Sauka-Kahuta in the early hours of August 11, when armed men allegedly invaded residences and carted away laptops, mobile phones, motorcycles and other valuables.
Police detectives attached to the Tudun-Wada Division commenced an investigation that led to the arrest of the alleged gang leader, 25-year-old Isiya Auwal of Maitumbi, on August 17 behind the U.K. Bello Theatre Centre.
Auwal allegedly led detectives to three other suspected members of the syndicate: Muhammad Tanko, 27; Francis Yusuf, aka Sisko, 35; and Amir Musa, 28, who were arrested at Tafa, Dikko Junction and Keffi in Nasarawa State.
The suspects allegedly confessed to robbery operations around the Mandela, Sauka-Kahuta, Barkin-Sale, Farm Centre and Highpoint areas of Minna.
According to the police, the suspects identified 50-year-old Ismaila Abdullahi of Angwan-Roka, Maitumbi, as the alleged custodian of their firearm.
The police further said Abdullahi was arrested on August 19, leading to the recovery of a Beretta pistol and two rounds of live ammunition.
Further investigation allegedly revealed that the gang sold stolen items to a receiver identified as Ahmed, aka Genuine, of Maitumbi.
The police said the five suspects remain under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Minna, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the alleged receiver.