Lt. IM Abubakar, a Nigerian soldier, was reportedly killed by phone snatchers in Kaduna State’s Unguwan Sarki region.
Zagazola Makama, a counterterrorism and insurgency expert in the Lake Chad Basin, disclosed the incident on his X account on Wednesday.
In a related development, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesperson for the command, announced that arrests were made on May 4 in Minna. The suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence provided by the command’s intelligence department.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects unlawfully entered a residence in the Kutirko-Fadikpe area of Minna and stole iPhones and Redmi Note phones.
They reportedly confessed to the crime and claimed to have sold the stolen phones to Sule Attahiru, Abdullahi Mohammed, and Shamsudeen Sabiu, who reside in Rafin-Yashi, Odu’oye Quarters, and Darussalam areas, respectively, in Minna.
Additionally, another suspect from Badeggi, Katcha Local Government Area, was arrested on May 6 with a victim’s Android phone while attempting to format and unlock it.
The suspect was unable to provide a satisfactory account of the phone, leading to suspicions that he had robbed the owner.
Abiodun stated that all the suspects are currently under investigation.
In another case related to phone theft, Allnews.ng reported that a male student from Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State was allegedly tortured to death by a group of students inside a hostel known as Shepherd Inn on campus.
The incident occurred after the deceased was reportedly caught with a stolen mobile phone and had his hair forcefully shaved by his assailants.
According to a source who spoke to Punch on condition of anonymity, the student was beaten from 6 pm on Friday until about 10 am on Saturday.
“They said they caught him with a stolen phone. They started beating him from 6 pm yesterday (Friday) until he died at about 10 am Saturday.
“The incident happened at ‘Shepherd Inn’. It’s like a lodge or a hostel now. They also shaved the hair of the guy before beating him,” he said.
Meanwhile, the varsity management confirmed the incident in a statement credited to the spokesperson, Femi Atoyebi, published by the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday.
The statement said the students suspected of having taken part in the alleged crime had been expelled and handed over to the police for prosecution.
Atoyebi said, “Contrary to what is trending, the university affirms that there is no cultism in the institution, just as the university has zero tolerance for any sort of anti-societal vices and misconduct.
“It is important to stress that the expelled students do not belong to any cult group.”
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