A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) attached to the Mobile Police Force (MOPOL 12) in Niger State has died amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of arms and ammunition to bandits operating in parts of the state.
The deceased officer, Isah Abdullahi, also known as Kunkuri, was in charge of the MOPOL 12 armoury located within the B Division premises of the Niger State Police Command along Paikoro Road, Minna, until his death.
According to The Sun, trouble began when a team of detectives from Abuja arrived at the unit to conduct a routine annual audit of arms and ammunition.
During the exercise, several rounds of ammunition were reportedly found to be missing or unaccounted for. Preliminary findings allegedly showed that 13 AK‑47 rifles and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition could not be traced.
Investigators were reportedly auditing the AK‑47 section of the armoury when subsequent events unfolded.
Further investigations allegedly led to the arrest of Inspector John Moses, 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 the Erena community, Shiroro Local Government Area.
The inspector was also said to have disclosed that the weapons were sold through his brother, an indigene of the area who allegedly acted as an intermediary and informant to the armed groups.
Following the development, operatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) reportedly stormed Minna and transferred the suspects to Abuja for further interrogation.
It was gathered that the late DSP was later returned from Abuja and taken to the armoury for a physical audit of weapons and ammunition.
During the audit process, Abdullahi reportedly accessed a pistol within the armoury and died on the spot.
Investigators said the officer could not be restrained at the time because the armoury operates an electronic control system with access reportedly limited to him, allowing him to reach a weapon before officers could intervene.
In the aftermath, officers who accompanied him to the armoury were immediately arrested and are now facing an orderly room trial over alleged negligence, while four policemen attached to the deceased have also been taken into custody for interrogation.
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A special security team from the NSA is said to have taken over the armoury and is currently guarding the facility.
Confirming the incident to journalists, Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, said Inspector John Moses remains under investigation at the NSA office in Abuja.
“The DSP brought out boxes that were supposed to contain ammunition and they were empty. In the process, he suddenly produced a pistol and shot himself,” Elleman said, adding that an autopsy would be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
Also speaking, 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.
“On 16 December 2025 at about 2.30pm, one DSP Abdullahi Isah attached to Mopol 12 Minna was initially arrested on 15 December for being suspected to be involved in illegal dealings of ammunition,” Abiodun said.
He added that officers indicted in the audit had been arrested for negligence, stressing that investigations into the missing weapons and the wider arms supply network are still ongoing.
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