The Police are holding three civil servants in custody after allegedly confessing to an alleged offence of stealing government properties worth N500 million in Bayelsa State.
The state’s police command disclosed that it arrested the suspects, Wadi Igiran of age 51, Nikade Sunday, 59, and Azabia Yakie, 59, after it received a petition from the Ministry of Labour, Empowerment and Productivity stating that they conspired to steal several items including a 110 KVA Perkins generator, a forklift, lathe machines, electric filling machines and other equipment kept in the ministry’s store.
The command’s spokesperson, Musa Mohammed, in a statement issued on Saturday in Yenagoa, said that the valuables were found missing during an inspection of the equipment store, igniting a call to the security agency which led to the arrests of the accused trio.
“On June 22, 2026, at about 10:30 a.m., the petitioner led a team comprising staff of the ministry and the Head of the Department of Human Resources Management on an official inspection of the ministry’s equipment store located within the premises of the Ministry of Transport, Yenagoa,” the circular reads.
“Upon receipt of the petition, the Commissioner of Police directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to commence a discreet investigation that led to the arrest of three suspects,”the statement adds.
Mohammed said that all the suspects, who are staff of the ministry, have confessed to the crime, adding that the forklift has been recovered from the receiver and is in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
He further mentioned that upon conclusion of the investigation, the suspects will be charged to court.
The spokesperson reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting public assets, saying, “The command reiterates its commitment to protecting government property, combating economic and property-related crimes, and ensuring that all those involved in criminal activities are brought to justice.”