The family of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abdullahi Isah has demanded the immediate release of his body for burial.
Speaking through Ubaidat Isah, a daughter of the deceased senior officer, the family rejected claims by the Niger State Police Command that DSP Isah took his own life following accusations that he was involved in the supply of firearms and ammunition to bandits operating in parts of Niger State
While describing the police account of the incident as unacceptable, Ubaidat insisted that the late officer was not the type of person who would take his own life. The family, she said, remains deeply troubled by the circumstances surrounding his death and is calling for transparency and justice.
According to Ubaidat, the family is more concerned about ensuring a dignified burial for the deceased in line with religious and cultural practices, while also urging authorities to allow a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter.
She said their primary concern is according their father a befitting burial, noting that it is sad that he is not alive to respond to the allegations against him.
Dateline Nigeria learnt that Abdullahi Isah, also known as Kunkuri, was attached to the Mobile Police Force (MOPOL) 12, Minna, where he supervised the unit’s armoury.
Police sources disclosed that the case came to light during a routine audit of the MOPOL 12 armoury by Abuja-based detectives, which allegedly revealed that 13 AK-47 rifles and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition were missing.
Investigations reportedly led to the arrest of Inspector John Moses, attached to the Niger State Government House, who allegedly confessed to receiving weapons from DSP Abdullahi for onward delivery to bandits operating in Erena, Shiroro Local Government Area. Further inquiries also identified a middleman believed to have links with criminal networks in the state.
According to the police, during a physical audit of the armoury, DSP Abdullahi allegedly accessed a pistol under his control and shot himself in the head, resulting in his instant death.
Speaking on the incident, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, said the officer “brought out a pistol and shot himself” after empty ammunition boxes were discovered.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, added that officers present during the audit had been arrested for negligence, while four other police personnel connected to the case are currently under investigation.
He also disclosed that a special team from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has taken over the security of the armoury, and that an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
