A Point of Sale operator, Aliyu Vatsai Musa, has been killed in a targeted attack at his residence in Minna, the Niger State capital, sending shockwaves through the community and raising fresh concerns over rising violent crime in the city.

Residents and security sources said the assailants forced their way into Musa’s home in the Mandela area of Minna in the early hours of the morning, using an iron cutter to break through a window before confronting him inside.

According to neighbours, the attackers rejected pleas for mercy and offers of money from the victim. They reportedly told him they had come solely to kill him, fuelling speculation that the incident was a planned hit rather than a robbery gone wrong.

Musa was said to have been stabbed in the stomach and struck repeatedly with a machete. His desperate cries for help drew neighbours to the scene, but the assailants escaped into the darkness before anyone could intervene.

The wounded PoS operator was initially taken to the Tudun-Wada police station and then rushed to the General Hospital in Minna, where doctors confirmed him dead. A preliminary medical examination indicated deep injuries to his chest and severe machete cuts to his head.

His elder brother, Ibrahim Kolo, described the killing as a devastating loss for the family and the wider community, noting that Musa was well known in the area for his PoS business and his willingness to assist customers and neighbours. He said the deceased was buried at a Muslim cemetery in Minna in accordance with Islamic rites.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, describing it as a suspected case of homicide. He said a patrol team from the Tudun-Wada Division was deployed to the scene after a distress report, but the suspects had already fled.

Abiodun disclosed that nothing was stolen from the house, reinforcing suspicions that the attackers had a singular mission. Police recovered an iron cutter believed to have been used to gain entry and a cutlass suspected to be the murder weapon.

The police spokesperson said an investigation is ongoing and that efforts are being intensified to track down and arrest the perpetrators, urging residents with useful information to come forward to assist the probe.