The Katsina State Police Command has arrested five suspects for alleged criminal conspiracy, theft and unlawful disposal of public property in Bugaje village, Jibia Local Government Area of the state.
The Command said the suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence on the illegal possession and disposal of public utilities.
This is contained in a statement by the Police spokesman, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, made available to newsmen on Sunday.
The statement disclosed that operatives attached to the Central Police Station, Katsina, arrested three principal suspects and transferred them to the state headquarters for further investigation.
The statement partly read, “The Katsina State Police Command has successfully arrested five suspects in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, theft, and the unlawful disposal of public property in Bugaje village, Jibia Local Government Area.
“On June 9, 2026, the Command, acting on credible intelligence regarding the unlawful possession and disposal of public utilities, deployed operatives from the Central Police Station (CPS), Katsina.
“The team arrested and subsequently transferred three principal suspects to the State Headquarters for further investigation. The suspects are identified as Hassan Ibrahim, m, aged 30; Lawal Ibrahim, m, aged 31; and Abubakar Sani, m, aged 31. Investigation revealed that about six months prior to their arrest, electric cables in Bugaje village collapsed due to weather conditions. The community authorities recovered and secured the cables pending official action.
“However, the suspects criminally conspired and unlawfully removed portions of the electric cables and sold them without authorisation. Further investigation established that the stolen cable materials were funnelled through one Umar Isa, m, aged 35, who sold them to one Ibrahim Rabiu, m, aged 27. The suspects confessed to selling the electric cable materials on five different occasions for a cumulative sum of N300,000.00.
“In the course of the operation, operatives also recovered ten iron doors from the suspects’ possession, suspected to have been unlawfully removed from the Barawa Housing Estate. Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the commission of the offences and indicted seven fleeing accomplices as Abdulsalam Bashir, Umar Atyau, Aminu Bashir, Idris Salisu, Yusuf Muhammad, Ismail Abubakar, and Bashir Abdullahi. Intensive efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects,” the statement noted.
Items recovered include ten iron doors, electrical cables, power line components, insulators, connectors, and scrap electrical transformers.
The suspects will be charged to court upon the completion of the investigation.
DSP Sadiq further noted that the Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, warned against vandalism, theft and illegal disposal of public property.
“He assures citizens that the Command remains committed to protecting public assets. Members of the public are urged to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station for prompt and decisive action,” he said.