BY UTHMAN BABA-NASEER, MINNA
Police Authority in Niger State,have arrested a serving Soldier for armed robbery and violently coursing grievous bodily harm to a Minna based businessman Abdulrahaman Salihu.
Private Sadiq Sani was said to have on the Eid- Fitr day came to the shop with the claim to make a purchase of a set of shirts from Abdulrahaman.
After the said transaction,it was gathered that he demanded the account details from the shop owner for him to transfer his money.
When the transfer was made,it was gathered that the Soldier sent a fake alert to him which told him to let the money drop to his account before taking his products.
At this point,the Soldier who was said to have been a notorious and habitual criminal brought out his sharp knife which he used to inflict several deep cuts on the shop owner.
As a result he chopped off his arm and took to his heels all efforts to chase him by some neighbours he escaped to his house in the Limawa area of Minna.
He was traced to his house by heavily armed policemen from Central Divisional Police command where he engaged the police for a free for all fight before he was overpowered and was whisked away.
It was reliably gathered that the Soldier has been involved in similar crime which he was said to have even killed several lives in a similar situation some two years back.
It was further gathered that as a result of his notoriety in Phone snatching and being a member of some miscreants terrorising residents of Minna, one of his uncle retired Brigadier General in the Army enlisted him in the Army about three years ago.
Captain U.S Ibrahim from the Military police (MP) of the 313 Brigade headquarters of Minna Cantonment has been detailed to take over full scale Investigation in to the case with a view to evacuating him to the defence headquarters in Abuja for further action.
" We are taken him to the defence headquarters to formally arraign him to face court martial for his dismissal after which will bring him to the police for his Prosecution in court" he said.
It was further gathered that the Private Soldier was known to be absconding from his station somewhere in Bayelsal state without any permission to come down to Minna to join his gang of Miscreants to wreak havoc on residents of Minna before escaping back
During his arrest he was said to have been in possession of over twenty five assorted phones suspected to have been disposesed from Innocent residents of Minna.
