How 12 Guards Stole N4.8bn Materials From Kainji Power Plant –Police

The police in Niger State have given details on how 12 guards conspired to vandalise and to steal navigation lock metals and beams worth N4.8 billion from Kainji Power Plant.

LEADERSHIP reports that 12 of the guards were arrested by the police in New Bussa after the security supervisor Shaibu Abu Sufyan confessed to committing the crime.

The police public relations officer, PPRO, Wasiu Abiodun confirmed that the case was transferred from New-Bussa Division to SCID Minna with two suspects Sufyan and one Ibrahim Musa in furtherance to the investigation of a criminal complaint received from Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd.

He said the company complained that “an inspection was conducted in the navigation lock yard of Kainji power plant at Kaya junction and discovered that some navigation lock metals and beams were vandalised and stolen by unknown persons valued over 4.8bn naira”.

Abiodun said, “The New-Bussa Division arrested the two suspects who were security supervisors at the power plant, transferred the case to SCID Minna, and the operatives of the SCID, led by DSP Ahmed Saidu, commenced further investigation. Abu Sufyan, who initially denied the alleged crime, later confessed when confronted with facts.”

He stated that Sufyan confessed that he perpetrated the act with 10 other suspects who were , all security staff under him and they were all arrested.

He explained that “Preliminary investigation revealed that all suspects conspired and contacted one Musa Khalid, Abah Khalid and Abdullahi who are major scrap dealers in Nasarawa village of Mashegu local government , mobilised to the location of the navigation lock gates”.

“Musa Khalid and others usually moved to the location with acetylene gas mostly during weekends at night, vandalised the metals, cut into sizes and used a crane to load it into canter trucks which has been happening since 2023 – 2025,” he added.

He said the items were usually taken to Musa Khalid’s shop in Nasarawa village, for weighing to ascertain the value before payment and proceeds are shared.

The police spokesman said investigation revealed that Musa Khalid has numerous agents through which the items were sold , to different companies in Lagos, Kwara and Osun states.