Ex-Niger Perm Sec Allegedly Killed By 18-Year-Old Panel Beater

On Sunday, the Niger State Police Command confirmed that Fatiyah Abdulhakeem, a panel beater, had been arrested for the alleged murder of Adamu Jagaba, a former Permanent Secretary of the State Government.

Abdulhakeem, 18, was alleged to have stabbed the victim in the head and made away with his car.

Jagaba, who retired from the State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, also operated a block moulding industry at the Eastern Bye Pass in Minna, the state capital, before his death.

The victim was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead by medical experts.

An eyewitness, Nuhu Abubakar, told our correspondent on Sunday that no argument ensued between the victim and the panel beater before he (the victim) was stabbed in the head.

“The incident happened on Saturday. The panel beater came to the Jagaba industry to fix the car. There was no argument. The next thing we saw was that the panel beater entered the car and drove away while the perm sec was lying in a pool of his blood and writhing in pain,” Abubakar said.

The spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the report, noting that the police have arrested the alleged killer with the stolen car.

Abiodun stated, “On December 7, 2024, at about 3 pm, a report of an incident of culpable homicide was made at Tudun-Wada Div, that at about 11.30 am, a yet-to-be-identified person(s) trespassed to a block industry located along Eastern Bye-pass, Minna, attacked and stabbed one Adamu Jagaba on the head and made away with his vehicle.

“The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he gave up the ghost and was confirmed dead,” adding that police operatives visited the scene.

According to Abiodun, the suspect confessed to the killing of Jagaba, adding that he conspired with some of the victim’s workers to carry out the crime.

“Fortunately, on the local circulation of the vehicle’s details to all police points and formation within the state, on the same date at about 7 pm, the Police Crack Squad of the Command intercepted the vehicle along Bosso Estate Road, Minna, with the suspect, named Fatiyah Abdulhakeem, aged 18 years of Tayi Village via Bosso Minna.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being the victim’s car painter and visited him at his block industry located at Eastern Bye-pass, via Maitumbi, opposite PDP Secretariat Minna. He said after discussing changing the vehicle bumper, he deliberately stabbed the deceased severally on the head and neck, also hit him multiple times with a stapler in the office, and made away with his Toyota Camry vehicle with Reg. No. MNA 61 AE.

“He confessed further that he conspired with some of the deceased workers, who gave him the target and more information in carrying out the crime. He said he has other gang members he does such heinous acts with, as he mentioned their names for investigation. Effort is ongoing to apprehend the members, and the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution immediately after investigation,” Abiodun stated.