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Police Arrest 13 More Over ₦4.8 Billion Theft At Kainji Power Plant

Police

The Niger State command of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested 13 additional suspects in connection with the vandalisation and theft of navigation lock metals and beams valued at ₦4.8 billion from the Kainji Power Plant.

Naijaonpoint reports that the new arrests bring the total number of suspects in the multi-billion-naira scandal to 25, following an earlier arrest of 12 suspects linked to the same crime.

According to the police, two senior employees of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MSEL). the company managing the Kainji Power Plant, were among those arrested.

The suspects, identified as Abubakar Jibril (51), a storekeeper from Borgu Local Government Area, and Abdullateef Musa (53), a business risk/internal control officer from Kwara State, were accused of conspiring to steal 100 new 40-amp batteries from the company’s store.

The duo allegedly hid the stolen batteries among items slated for auction, later selling them and sharing the proceeds.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Wednesday.

He said: “In a follow-up investigation to the case of Kainji Power Plant earlier transferred to the SCID Minna on August 12, 2025, 13 additional suspects were arrested in connection with the vandalisation and theft of navigation lock metals and beams valued at over ₦4.8bn in the navigation lock yard of the power plant.”

Abiodun explained that the 13 suspects were apprehended on September 26, 2025, by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Minna.

The police further revealed that some of the suspects were security guards and cleaners at the Kainji facility who allegedly aided in the disposal of stolen items and benefited from the proceeds.

Among them are:

  • Aliyu Salihu (42), also known as Cixxe, from Borgu LGA;
  • Ishaq Suleiman Adam (35) from Magama LGA;
  • Nasko Timothy Joseph (32) from Kaduna State;
  • Abdulmalik Jimmy Gudah (33) from Zaria, Kaduna State.

“These individuals were security men on duty who aided in disposing of the stolen items and afterwards benefited from the proceeds of the crime,” Abiodun said.

He also identified Joseph Steven (36) from Benue State and Babangida Abdullahi (42) from Borgu LGA as cleaners at MSEL who participated in stealing and selling vandalised metals.

Additional suspects named in the police report include:

Labaran Haruna (20), Haruna Usman (40), Shuaibu Hassan (48), Musa Salihu (24), and Sabon Mati (47), some of whom are residents of Borgu, Lavun, Mashegu, and Kano State, while one is reportedly from Niger Republic.

“The suspects are in custody, undergoing further interrogation to aid the investigation and the arrest of their accomplices, collaborators, and possible recovery of some of the stolen items, after which they will be prosecuted accordingly,” Abiodun added.

Naijaonpoint recalls that earlier in August, 12 suspects were arrested in connection with the vandalisation and theft of the same Kainji Power Plant materials.

The latest arrests, police say, are part of a wider crackdown aimed at dismantling the syndicate behind the ₦4.8 billion heist, which has raised serious concerns about internal sabotage and security lapses within the nation’s power infrastructure.


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