A young Nigerian man, Bashir, has been arrested by the police for the alleged murder of his best friend.

In a statement released today, the Niger State State Police Command announced the arrest of Bashir, who had been at large following the incident. 

It was earlier reported that the victim, Hassan Shehu, was allegedly stabbed to death by his best friend, Bashir, in the Tudun-Fulani area of the Bosso Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State. Read here.

Police confirmed that the deceased was the bestman at Bashir’s wedding last year.

The police spokesperson, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, April 21, said that Bashir was arrested alongside his brother, Aliyu Ibrahim, at a hotel in Minna, while one Abdullahi Garba was equally apprehended for purchasing the victim’s phone.

Bashir who confessed to the crime, disclosed that he and his brother conspired with one Suleiman Mahmud to lure the victim to his house for a purported business transaction.

When the late businessman arrived the apartment, the suspects stabbed him to death and fled with his car containing the sum of N2m.

Abiodun further revealed that the suspects will be arraigned in court for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and receiving stolen property immediately after the investigation is concluded.

“In a continued effort of the Niger State Police Command to rid the state of crime and criminality and ensuring dispensation of justice, the Police Command arrested two (2) suspected killers of late Hassan Shehu.

It would be recalled that on 12/04/2022 at about 1700hrs, a case of culpable homicide was reported at Bosso Division in which one late Hassan Shehu aged 28yrs, a businessman at Kure Market, Minna was invited to Tudun-fulani area of Bosso by one Bashir Ibrahim for a purported business transaction.

Unfortunately, the deceased was allegedly stabbed to death on arrival to the venue, in an apartment by the suspect who later escaped from the scene with the victim’s Peugeot 206 vehicle and about two million naira there-in the vehicle.

Upon the receipt of this unfortunate incident, the Police Command swung into action and commenced an indepth technical investigation, after a painstaking investigation and technical intelligence analysis upon the marching order of the Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command CP Monday Bala Kuryas, fsi to the operatives of the Command to ensure that the perpetrator(s) of this dastard act are brought to book.

“However, on 19/04/2022 at about 1500hrs, acting on technical intelligence, Police operatives attached to Intelligence Unit of the Command arrested the following suspects:- Bashir Ibrahim aged 25 and Aliyu Ibrahim aged 22yrs, both who are brothers and ‘m’ of Tundun-Fulani Area, Bosso.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime that both suspects conspired with one Suleiman Mahmud aged 29yrs ‘m’ of same address presently at large to tie the victim and dispossessed him of the money in his car, but on entering the house, the deceased struggled with the said Suleiman while Aliyu stabbed the victim on the chest and was abandoned till he bled to death.

“Bashir whom the deceased was his best man during his wedding in last year confessed further to have escaped from the scene with the victim’s vehicle which contained about two million naira and later travelled to Kano to purchase some chemical for washing of gold items from the deceased’s money.

“The suspects were arrested in a hotel along Western Bye-Pass, Minna while one Abdullahi Garba aged 22yrs ‘m’ of Tunga-Mallam, Paikoro LGA was equally apprehended for purchasing the victim’s phone from Aliyu at the rate of three thousand naira with an exchange of another phone.

“Meanwhile, a sum of five hundred and twenty four thousand naira was recovered from Bashir, two bottles of suspected chemical substances which he claimed to have purchased from Kano with seven hundred thousand naira and the said vehicle were also recovered.

“Case is under investigation as effort is ongoing to apprehend Suleiman Mahmud while suspects will be arraigned to court for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and receiving stolen property immediately after investigation is concluded.” The statement read.