The Niger State Police Command has arrested four individuals suspected of murdering a photographer, Zaccheaus Salawudeen, during a robbery at his residence in Minna on February 27, 2024. One suspect remains on the run.
Salawudeen, 33, was attacked in his home at Tudun-Fulani, Minna, while asleep with his wife and newborn child. The robbers, five in number, broke into the house, stole ₦95,000—money entrusted to Salawudeen by his church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God—as well as his phone and laptop, before stabbing him fatally.
The incident, previously reported in April 2024 by FRONTPAGE, highlighted Salawudeen’s contributions as a photographer and Special Assistant on Political Mobilisation to Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago. The governor’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Nma Kolo, had assured the public that the government would support Salawudeen’s family and ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.
According to a statement released by Niger State Police Command spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun, the suspects—Mustapha Ibrahim (19), known as “Sniper,” Shamson Rabiu (21), Bashar Aliyu (20), also called “Gizo,” and Abdullahi Umar (19)—were apprehended on October 26, 2024, by the police Crack Squad Unit in the River Basin area of Minna.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to targeting Salawudeen after learning he had received a significant sum of money. Believing he was withholding the actual amount, they attacked him, and one of the suspects, identified as Danladi, who is still at large, stabbed him in the stomach.
The police statement also revealed that the same group was involved in a similar attack on August 9, 2024, in Rafin-Yashin. During that incident, they assaulted a resident and inflicted a severe machete wound after the victim refused to open the door. A neighbor identified the robbers during the attack.
Items recovered during the arrest included two knives, five wraps of suspected cannabis, alcohol, matches, and abandoned slippers.
The suspects have been arraigned in court, while efforts continue to apprehend the fifth suspect, Danladi. The police emphasized their commitment to ensuring justice and protecting the public from criminal activities.
Governor Bago’s adviser, Nma Kolo, reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting Salawudeen’s family, stating that the government would ensure they were not abandoned and would work tirelessly to bring all the culprits to justice.
