Niger State Police Command announced on Friday that two men were arrested on September 20, 2026, for allegedly vandalising a communication mast in Minna, while a suspected soldier and another accomplice fled during the police interception on the Paiko‑Lapai Road.
The arrested individuals are identified as Ogbonna David, 34, of Ogbo Local Government Area, Rivers State, and Chidiebere Okonkwo, 30, of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Police said they were taken into custody at Tungan‑Mallam Village after intercepting a Mazda vehicle (registration PHC 544 BP) that police had been alerted to around 5:50 pm.
According to Police Public Relations Officer SP Wasiu Abiodun, preliminary investigations revealed that four people were travelling in the vehicle, including a suspected soldier who was allegedly serving as an escort. The group was traced to the Brighter area of Minna, where they are accused of damaging a communication mast and stealing solar batteries before attempting to flee toward Abuja. Security personnel along Lambata Road were alerted, prompting the suspects to divert onto the Paiko‑Lapai Road, where they were later intercepted.
During the interception, the suspected soldier and one other member of the group escaped, while David and Okonkwo were detained. A search of the vehicle yielded four solar batteries, two Android phones, a keypad phone, two gas cylinders, three pairs of military camouflage, a pair of military boots, a green beret, three passport photographs belonging to a military officer, N26,000 in cash, a knife and a bag of spanners.
Both suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation and possible prosecution. Police said efforts remain ongoing to locate and arrest the fleeing suspects.
In a separate case reported on the same day, police arrested 35‑year‑old Lami Bako of Mokwa near Kainji Junction at about 3:30 am after she was found with a crying two‑month‑old baby. Bako told investigators that she was not the child’s biological mother and that an unidentified woman had given the infant to her. The matter has also been handed over to the SCID for further inquiry and to facilitate the baby’s reunification with its mother.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
