According to a report by Daily Post Nigeria on Tuesday, 9 June, 2026, in a bold crackdown on rising street crime, Adamawa State Police have arrested two young suspects in the state capital, Yola, for alleged shopbreaking and violent phone snatching.
The arrests send a strong message that authorities are intensifying efforts to dismantle the notorious Shila Boys gang, whose activities have long troubled residents across the state.
The Adamawa State Police Command announced the breakthroughs on Tuesday, highlighting coordinated operations by operatives from the Doubeli Divisional Police Headquarters in Yola North Local Government Area.
These arrests form part of a wider campaign targeting Shilla gangsterism and other petty crimes that continue to threaten daily life in the region.
On June 3, 2026, police arrested 22-year-old Idris Auwal, a resident of Doubeli Culvert in Yola North.
According to police spokesman SP Suleiman Nguroje, the suspect conspired with three accomplices who remain at large to break into a shop owned by Abdullahi Sunusi at Nassarawo Borehole.
The gang reportedly forced their way inside and made off with a bag filled with cash plus various goods from the shop shelves.
Preliminary investigations point to a well-planned operation typical of the Shila Boys, who often target small businesses in vulnerable locations.
Just two days later, on June 5, 2026, officers apprehended another suspected member of the gang in a separate incident.
This suspect, armed with a dangerous cutlass, allegedly attacked Abubakar Abdullahi along the Doubeli Bypass. He snatched an Itel mobile phone and N19,000 in cash from the victim.
The victim sustained injuries during the violent encounter but received prompt medical attention thanks to the quick response of police operatives.
Such brazen daytime or evening attacks have become all too familiar for residents navigating Yola’s busy routes.
Police recovered key evidence from the suspects, including a cutlass, a knife, and the stolen Itel mobile phone.
Both individuals are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation as detectives work to track down their fleeing accomplices and uncover possible links to other unsolved crimes.
