The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that Muhammed Kassim, who was popularly known as Enemi, has died. He was a well-known youth in the Idah area.

Police spokesperson SP William Ovye Aya shared a statement on Wednesday, July 17, 2025, saying that Kassim was linked to a group involved in selling guns and bullets in Kogi State and beyond.

The police said Kassim died while trying to run away from arrest, not in police custody as some social media posts have claimed.

Some people online, including Isaiah Ijele, the publicity secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State, had accused the police of killing Kassim and said it was politically motivated. He also called him a “Regional Youth Leader” and demanded justice.

Police explained that the case is being handled by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lokoja, and the investigation followed an order from the National Security Adviser’s (NSA) office in Abuja.

One of the suspects, Mohammed Amedu, was arrested by DSS agents on June 22 and handed over to Kogi police on June 28.

Amedu confessed to being involved in the illegal arms trade and named Kassim and others as members of the same gang.

Investigators later found that Kassim had bought 20 bullets to test an AK-47 rifle he reportedly owned.

Police also arrested five more suspects and recovered two locally made Beretta pistols during the investigation.

They said that when they got information about Kassim’s location, officers from Idah police division went to arrest him, but he resisted the arrest.

The police said Kassim was not alone—he was with several young men suspected to be part of his gang, and they tried to stop the arrest.

According to the statement, the police wanted to clear up false reports spreading on social media about Kassim’s death.

They stressed that Kassim was not in their custody at the time of his death but was trying to run away from arrest.

Police said that the case began after a legal tip from the NSA’s office pointed to Amedu, who was arrested and later mentioned Kassim as part of the gang.

Kassim was said to have bought bullets from Amedu to test his AK-47, and the police had already arrested other suspects and recovered weapons from them.

When police officers went to invite Kassim for questioning on July 7, 2025, he ran away by jumping over the fence of his house.

After he refused the invitation and kept running, police officers in Idah were told to monitor and arrest him whenever they saw him.

On one occasion, they got a tip that Kassim had been seen at a particular place in Idah. Officers rushed there to arrest him.

But he was with his suspected gang members, who tried to protect him. They used weapons like stones and cutlasses to attack the police.

During the fight, Kassim tried to grab a policeman’s rifle. As they struggled over the gun, it went off and hit him in the leg.

Kassim’s gang members then took him away while he was bleeding from the gunshot and hid him. He later died in their care.

The police said they are still investigating the case. Everyone arrested so far will be taken to court once the investigation is complete.