Bauchi Court Tells Thugs: Go to Prison for Eight Years or Pay ₦370,000 Fine Each

A Bauchi State court has sentenced eight persons to eight years’ imprisonment each for thuggery and disturbance of public peace in Unguwar Dim, Bauchi metropolis.

The convicts were given the option of paying a ₦370,000 fine each, the Bauchi State Police Command has said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, October 17, 2026, saying the arrests followed a complaint by the Unguwar Dim Peace and Security Committee on October 14 over renewed thuggery in the area.

Habib said police operatives, working with community security personnel, raided a suspected hideout in the early hours of October 15, leading to the arrest of nine suspects.

Weapons, including machetes, cutlasses, knives and sticks, as well as illicit substances, were recovered during the operation, he added.

According to the police spokesperson, eight of the suspects were charged to court after investigations and were convicted after pleading guilty to the charges.

The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, welcomed the judgment, describing it as a result of collaboration between the police and the community.

He urged residents to provide credible information to help security agencies tackle thuggery and other criminal activities, reaffirming the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across Bauchi State.