DSP Allegedly Linked to Bandits in Niger Dies by Suicide During Investigation

A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) attached to the Mobile Police Force, Mopol 12, in Niger State has died while undergoing investigation over alleged involvement in the diversion of arms and ammunition to bandits operating in parts of the state.
The officer, identified as Isah Abdullahi, also known as Kunkuri, was until his death the officer in charge of the Mopol 12 armoury located within the B Division premises of the Niger State Police Command along Paikoro Road in Minna.

According to reports by The Sun, the officer’s ordeal began when a team of detectives from Abuja arrived at the unit to conduct the routine annual audit of arms and ammunition. During the exercise, several rounds of ammunition were reportedly discovered to be missing or unaccounted for.
Preliminary findings allegedly indicated that 13 AK-47 rifles and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition could not be traced. Investigators were said to have been auditing the AK-47 section of the armoury when the incident occurred.
Further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of an inspector, John Moses, who was attached to the Niger State Government House in Minna. During interrogation, Moses allegedly confessed that the late DSP supplied him with arms and ammunition, which were later delivered to bandits and other criminal elements operating in Erena community in Shiroro Local Government Area.
The inspector was also said to have revealed that the weapons were sold through his brother, an indigene of the area, who allegedly acted as an intermediary and informant for the armed groups.
Following these developments, operatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) reportedly arrived in Minna and transferred the suspects to Abuja for further interrogation. It was gathered that the DSP was later returned from Abuja and taken to the armoury for a physical audit of weapons and ammunition.
During the process, he reportedly gained access to a pistol inside the armoury and died on the spot. Investigators said he could not be restrained at the time because the armoury operates an electronic control system, with access reportedly limited to him, enabling him to reach a weapon before officers could intervene.
In the aftermath, officers who accompanied him to the armoury were immediately arrested and are facing an orderly room trial over alleged negligence. In addition, four policemen attached to the deceased officer were taken into custody for interrogation.
A special security team from the NSA is said to have taken over the armoury and is currently guarding the facility.
Confirming the incident, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, told journalists that Inspector John Moses remains under investigation at the NSA office in Abuja. He explained that the DSP brought out boxes that were supposed to contain ammunition, only for them to be found empty.
“In the process, he suddenly produced a pistol and shot himself,” Elleman said, adding that an autopsy would be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
Also speaking on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the officer was initially arrested on December 15, 2025, over suspected illegal dealings in ammunition. He stated that on December 16, 2025, at about 2:30 p.m., DSP Abdullahi Isah of Mopol 12, Minna, who had been arrested a day earlier, was being investigated for the alleged offence.
Abiodun added that officers indicted during the audit had been arrested for negligence, stressing that investigations into the missing weapons and the broader arms supply network are still ongoing.