Dismissed police officer arrested for robbery and extortion

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old dismissed police officer, Haruna Haggai, for allegedly impersonating security personnel, snatching motorcycles, and extorting residents in Minna.

Haggai was apprehended on January 16, 2026, at about 10 p.m. at his residence in Sauka-Kahuta by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department and the Special Tactical Squad, following intelligence reports and a complaint from one of his victims.

In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the suspect posed as a police officer on January 14, 2026, along Kpakungu Road, where he intercepted a Jincheng motorcycle rider, intimidated him, and forcefully took the motorcycle.

Investigations revealed that Haggai later conveyed the victim around town, falsely accused him of fraud, and extorted ₦150,000 from him around Garatu before abandoning him and making away with the motorcycle.

“The suspect was arrested based on a direct complaint that a victim was riding a Jincheng motorcycle along Kpakungu Road on January 14, 2026, when the suspect intercepted him, impersonated a policeman, intimidated the victim, and forcefully collected the motorcycle,” Abiodun stated.

“He later conveyed the rider around the town, extorted the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand naira from him around Garatu, tagged him a fraudster, abandoned him, and made away with the motorcycle.”

Abiodun added that this was not Haggai’s first offence. In October 2025, he was arrested for allegedly impersonating an EFCC official and extorting ₦400,000 but was released after an out-of-court settlement.

The police also disclosed that the suspect had been reported for harassing and terrorizing residents in the Sauka-Kahuta area and its environs, extorting and robbing them of their valuables.

“The suspect is currently in custody undergoing investigation. The motorcycle has been recovered, and he will be charged to court for prosecution, taking into account records of his previous offences,” the statement added.