The Niger State Police Command has cracked a high-profile case involving theft and vandalism at the Kainji Power Plant, where infrastructure valued at over ₦4.8 billion was stripped and sold by insiders in collusion with scrap dealers.
According to the statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, the operation followed a formal complaint lodged on August 11, 2025, by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, managers of the Kainji facility.
Police disclosed that initial inspections at the navigation lock yard revealed the disappearance of massive metal beams, which were cut into smaller parts and moved discreetly. Two supervisors of the plant, identified as 35-year-old Shaibu Abu Sufyan and 31-year-old Ibrahim Musa, were the first to be apprehended.
“An inspection at the navigation lock yard of the Kainji power plant revealed that some navigation lock metals and beams worth billions were vandalised and carted away by unknown persons. Following this, two supervisors at the plant were arrested and transferred to SCID Minna,” police said.
Though both suspects initially denied involvement, Abu Sufyan later confessed, naming ten other security operatives. Investigators confirmed that the syndicate had links to scrap dealers in Mashegu Local Government Area, Niger State, who used heavy-duty equipment and acetylene gas to dismantle and ferry away the stolen materials.
Police traced ₦12.5 million in illicit transactions to Abu Sufyan and ₦11.5 million to Musa, while the items were sold to buyers across Lagos, Kwara, and Osun States. “These criminal activities have been ongoing since 2023,” Abiodun added.
okay.ng reports that security operatives are intensifying efforts to track the scrap dealers and recover remaining assets.
In a related case, police also uncovered a fake kidnapping staged to extort ₦7 million in ransom. Two young men, 21-year-old Ahmed Alh. Bura from Bauchi State and 22-year-old Shafiu Ibrahim from Makujeri, allegedly faked the abduction after attending a car drifting event in Minna.
Investigations revealed they conspired to disappear and pressured colleagues into raising ransom money. Both suspects, along with others earlier arrested, remain in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Minna.
