The Yobe State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old suspected burglar, Shettima Adamu, along with five alleged accomplices over offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, trespass, theft, and receiving stolen items in the state.
The arrests followed complaints from shop owners in the Bayan Tasha and Nayi Nawa areas of Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, over a series of burglary incidents involving goods estimated at about ₦530,000.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said operatives of the A Divisional Police Headquarters apprehended Adamu around 4 a.m. on February 2, 2026.
“On February 2, 2026, at about 0400 hours, operatives of the A Divisional Police Headquarters arrested one Shettima Adamu, aged 18, of the Nayi Nawa area, following multiple complaints from shop owners over recurring incidents of burglary and theft,” the statement partly read.
Abdulkarim explained that preliminary investigations showed the suspect voluntarily confessed and subsequently led officers to five other individuals allegedly involved in purchasing and reselling the stolen items.
The accomplices were identified as Abdullahi Abubakar, Mohd Suleman, Hassan Adamu, and Mohd Hayatu, all aged 20, as well as 19-year-old Mohd Nura. All are said to be residents of the same area.
“The suspects confessed to the crime, while some of the stolen items were recovered and duly marked as exhibits,” he said.
In a separate incident, the command also confirmed the arrest of a 38-year-old man, Abdulrazaq Abdul’Azeez, over the robbery of a tricycle, commonly known as Keke Napep, in Potiskum Local Government Area.
Police said the Potiskum Divisional Headquarters received a distress call around 3:30 p.m. on February 2, 2026, reporting that a tricycle operator had been robbed and left unconscious after a harmful substance was allegedly used.
“Following sustained intelligence-led investigation and collaboration with the Keke Napep Union, the stolen tricycle was intercepted at a police checkpoint in Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State,” Abdulkarim stated.
He added that the suspect, who resides in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, had been returned to Yobe for further investigation, while two other suspects remained at large.
“The recovered tricycle is in police custody as an exhibit,” he said.
Reacting, the Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Ado, said, “The Yobe State Police Command remains committed to fighting crime across the state.
“Crime is not a business, and it never pays. There is no safe haven for criminals in Yobe State, and youths are advised to embrace legitimate means of livelihood.”
