In a surprising turn of events, a man divorced his wife at a police station in Minna, Niger State, shortly after she was arrested during a police operation targeting criminal elements. The incident followed a raid carried out by security operatives on several hotels suspected of harboring members of the sara-suka gang and drug peddlers.

According to a security operative who spoke anonymously to Daily Trust, the operation was part of an intensified effort to curb increasing youth violence and criminal activities in Minna. This initiative was reportedly ordered by the state’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, who, after observing the security situation firsthand, directed the police to clamp down on locations believed to be hotspots for illicit activities.

During the course of the operation, several individuals were apprehended, including women. One of the arrested women was later discovered to be married, a fact that only came to light when families of the detainees were contacted. The police had yet to conclude their investigation when the woman’s husband arrived at the station.

To the astonishment of everyone present, the man publicly identified the woman as his wife and declared an immediate divorce by pronouncing it three times — a traditional form of instant divorce in some communities.

The officer explained that the woman’s presence at the hotel was still under investigation and her intentions or involvement had not been determined at the time of the arrest. Nonetheless, the husband did not wait for any official findings and instead chose to end the marriage on the spot.