Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested three suspected criminals, including two alleged members of the notorious Shilla gang, in separate operations aimed at tackling violent crime in the Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas.
The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, by its Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Yahaya. According to the statement, "The Adamawa State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its sustained fight against Shilla gangsterism and other violent crimes within Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas."
In one of the operations, police said 22-year-old Abdulmalik Mohammed of the Zango area was arrested on June 12, 2026, after allegedly attacking a passenger aboard a commercial tricycle along the Doubeli Bye-Pass. The statement said the suspect, armed with a cutlass, "reportedly attacked the victim and dispossessed him of his mobile phone." Members of the public apprehended the suspect after the victim raised an alarm and attempted mob action against him before operatives attached to the Doubeli Divisional Police Headquarters intervened and took him into custody.
Preliminary investigations linked the suspect to a series of theft cases within the Yola metropolis, including the theft of a sewing machine at Tsohon Kasuwa. The police added that efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest other persons connected to the alleged crimes.
In another operation conducted on June 14, 2026, police operatives on confidence-building patrol arrested two suspected Shilla gang members identified as Abba Abdullahi, 17, and Abdulrahman Saidu, 16. The suspects were allegedly found in possession of dangerous knives "suspected to have been intended for use in committing criminal acts at a birthday party," the statement said.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Kabir Umar Hassan, commended the operatives for what the command described as their "proactive response and professionalism" in carrying out the operations. The statement added that the police chief "reaffirmed the Command's commitment to dismantling Shilla gangs and other criminal groups threatening the peace and security of residents."
The command urged residents to continue supporting law enforcement agencies with timely and credible information, assuring that all reports would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
The Shilla gang, a loose network of street criminals predominantly active in Yola and its satellite towns, is known for muggings, shop break‑ins, and violent street robberies, often carried out with machetes or knives. The arrests are part of a sustained crackdown on the gang network that has terrorized residents of Yola and Jimeta for years.
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