Suleja jailbreaker rearrested one year after escape, police nab another robbery syndicate in Niger

The Niger State Police Command has rearrested a fugitive convict, Jemilu Ibrahim, one year after he escaped from the Suleja Correctional Centre following a torrential rainfall that caused part of the facility’s wall to collapse.

Ibrahim, who had been serving a jail term for armed robbery before the jailbreak, was apprehended during a routine patrol by operatives of the “B” Division, Suleja, on October 15, 2025, at about 8:30 p.m.

In a statement issued in Minna, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said Ibrahim was intercepted along the Suleja–Madalla Road with a container of illicit substances and several suspected stolen items, including ATM cards and mobile phones.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that he had been prosecuted for armed robbery before his escape during the 2024 Suleja Correctional Centre wall collapse,” the statement read.

The police confirmed that the fugitive had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for onward handover to the Correctional Service.

In a related development, the police also arrested a 23-year-old suspect, Lukman Umar, after rescuing him from being lynched by a mob in Suleja.

According to SP Abiodun, Umar attempted to flee without paying for a meal at a food stall near Kantoma Bridge in the early hours of October 19, 2025, before police operatives intervened.

Further investigation revealed that Umar was part of a robbery syndicate operating in the area, specializing in the theft of vehicles, motorcycles, and phones.

He reportedly named his accomplices as Saifullahi Ibrahim (34), Lawali, Garba, and Ayuba. Police later arrested Saifullahi at his Dakwa residence, where three locally fabricated revolver guns and two knives were recovered.

Both suspects confessed to posing as community vigilantes to carry out their criminal activities.

SP Abiodun added that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate, after which the suspects would be charged to court.