The police commissioner in Niger State, Ogundele Ayodeji, has revealed that a preliminary investigation into the robbery attack at the Emir of Minna’s palace on Tuesday indicates the possibility of an internal conspiracy.

Mr Ayodeji told journalists during the G-7 states technical committee meeting in Abuja on Wednesday that ongoing investigations suggested collaborations between someone in the palace and the robbers.

“From the reports I have received, there seems to be an in-house conspiracy to the crime, and I am confident that the criminals will be caught sooner or later,” said Mr Ayodeji.

He assured the public that his team was actively pursuing the criminals and expressed confidence in their arrest.

“From the update I got, the hoodlums tailed the cashier of the emirate up to the gate of the palace.

“As the cashier was about to enter the palace, the criminals shot sporadically, and in the process, killed two of the palace guards and carted away with N3.3 million,” he said.

Mr Ayodeji described the G-7 platform, made up of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its six neighbouring states, as “very strategic” in fighting cross-border crime among the member states.

He said the G-7 technical committee comprised security chiefs of the FCT, Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau States.

(NAN)