Monday, July 20, 2026

Niger: Police rescue two suspected phone thieves from mob

He identified the suspects as Hassan Abdullahi, 20, and Khalifa Bashir, 22. 

• July 17, 2026
suspected phone thieves
suspected phone thieves

The Niger State Police Command says it rescued two suspected phone thieves identified as Hassan Abdullahi and Khalifa Bashir from a mob at the Mobil roundabout in Minna.

A statement on Friday by Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s spokesman, said the suspects were rescued from the mob at about 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

“On 14th July, 2026 at about 11.45 a.m., two suspected phone snatchers were rescued from a mob by police operatives of ‘B’ Div Minna at Mobil round-about having snatched three phones from unsuspecting members of the public in a tricycle,” he said.

He identified the suspects as Hassan Abdullahi, 20, and Khalifa Bashir, 22, both of whom hail from Kano State.

“The suspects used a tricycle to convey some passengers, and after picking their phones, they insisted on dropping them before the agreed destination,” Mr Abiodun said.

He added that the passengers discovered that their phones were missing and quickly raised an alarm, which attracted mob action.

The spokesman said the suspects are in custody undergoing investigation, after which they will be charged to court.

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