The Kano State Police Command has recovered 160 suspected stolen solar inverters worth ₦59.2 million and arrested four suspects in separate operations involving alleged theft and armed robbery.
The command said the operations, carried out by the Sharada Police Division and the Special Intervention Squad, were intelligence-driven and conducted within 48 hours.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the command’s spokesman, CSP Abdullahi Kiyawa, the police said detectives from the Sharada Division acted on credible intelligence on July 29 after receiving information that a 43-year-old man, Abdullahi Isah, was advertising large quantities of solar inverters at unusually low prices.
According to the statement, Isah was arrested, and a follow-up search led to the recovery of 160 units of 6.5KW/48V solar inverters valued at ₦59.2 million from an uncompleted building at Haye Quarters, along the Western Bypass in Kano.
“The recovered items are reasonably suspected to have been stolen. We are calling on members of the public who own or may have lost solar inverters of similar description to report to the Sharada Police Division for identification and possible recovery,” the command said.
The police added that investigations were ongoing to determine the source of the recovered inverters and identify other individuals linked to the alleged crime. It said the suspect would be charged to court after the completion of the investigation.
In a separate operation, the Special Intervention Squad arrested three suspects allegedly involved in the theft of six fuel dispensing machines valued at about ₦10.2 million from Jajire Filling Station in Aku Village, along Maiduguri Road, Gaya Local Government Area.
The command said armed robbers attacked the filling station in the early hours of July 25, overpowered the security guards, tied them up, locked them inside a security room, and escaped with the machines.
Following a complaint, police operatives tracked and arrested Bishir Abubakar, 60; Shamsu Abdullahi, 30; and Alhaji Shamsu Lawan, 56, all from Katsina State.
The suspects allegedly confessed during interrogation to purchasing the stolen fuel dispensing machines from one Usman Ibrahim of Kaduna State for ₦5.2 million.
“Efforts have been intensified to arrest the fleeing suspect and recover the stolen fuel dispensing machines. Investigation is ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court after its conclusion,” the statement added.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, commended the officers involved in the operations, describing the recoveries as a demonstration of the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and crime prevention.
“We will not relent in our efforts to dismantle criminal networks and recover stolen property across Kano State. We also appreciate community policing stakeholders whose timely information contributed to these successes,” Bakori said.
He urged residents to be cautious when purchasing goods offered at suspiciously low prices and encouraged them to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
