A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) attached to the Mobile Police Force, Mopol 12, in Niger State has died while under 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 the officer in charge of the Mopol 12 armoury located within the B Division premises of the Niger State Police Command along Paikoro Road, Minna.
According to reports, the investigation began when a team of detectives from Abuja arrived for a routine annual audit of arms and ammunition at the unit. During the exercise, several rounds of ammunition were reportedly found 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 be auditing the AK-47 section of the armoury when the incident occurred.
Further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of an 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 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 these developments, operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) reportedly transferred the suspects to Abuja for further interrogation. The DSP was later returned to Minna and taken to the armoury for a physical audit of weapons and ammunition.
During the audit, police sources said the officer accessed a pistol inside the armoury and shot himself. Investigators noted that he could not be immediately restrained because the armoury operates an electronic control system with access reportedly limited to him.
In the aftermath, officers who accompanied him to the armoury were arrested and are facing an orderly room trial over alleged negligence. Four other policemen attached to the deceased officer were also taken into custody for interrogation, while a special security team from the NSA has taken over and is guarding the armoury.
Confirming the incident, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, said Inspector John Moses remains under investigation at the NSA office in Abuja. He added that during the audit, boxes meant to contain ammunition were found empty before the DSP allegedly produced a pistol and shot himself. An autopsy, he said, would be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the officer had initially been arrested on December 15, 2025, over suspected illegal dealings in ammunition. He added that officers indicted in the audit had been arrested for negligence and that investigations into the missing weapons and the alleged arms supply network are ongoing.
