Police rescue eight victims, kill three bandits, arrest ten suspects in Benue

The Benue State Police Command says it recorded major breakthroughs against kidnapping, armed robbery, human trafficking, cultism and gun-running in one month, with ten suspects arrested, eight victims rescued unharmed and 17 firearms recovered.

Cletus Nwadiogbu, Commissioner of Police, who made this known on Friday, during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi, said the arrests reflected the Command’s resolve to “deny criminals any space to operate in Benue State.”

“What you will hear and see today are not just statistics or exhibits; they are testaments to the resilience of our officers, the synergy with other security agencies, and the cooperation of well-meaning residents”, Nwadiogbu told journalists.

He stressed that effective policing “thrives on transparency, partnership, and timely information.”

The CP informed that one of the Command’s major cases was the arrest of a suspected human trafficker on 22nd May. According to the CP, one Grace Hari, 22, reported that she and her sister were lured from Naka to Lagos by Ashide Nyityon, 40, under the pretext of employment.

He maintained that instead of employment, the trafficker allegedly moved them to Ghana and sold them into prostitution, where they were sexually assaulted before escaping back to Naka.

The CP said Nyityon was later arrested and is cooperating with the police to apprehend others at large.

He said, “In Vandeikya Local Government, the Police also arrested a suspect linked to the abandonment of two-day-old Twins at Branch Atser on 22nd May. The infants were rescued, admitted to the ICU, and placed under the Social Welfare Unit. The CP said the suspect will be charged after the investigation.

“On 25th May, a combined team of tactical police, Mobile Force, and vigilantes rescued 8 persons kidnapped around Adupi, Orokam in Ogbadibo LG. CP Nwadiogbu said the operatives engaged the abductors in a gun duel, forcing them to flee and abandon the victims without ransom. A locally fabricated single-barrel gun and a military uniform were recovered.

“The command also foiled a bandit attack in Gbeji, Ukum LGA, on the 8th of June. Police, with Community Volunteer Guards, engaged the suspects in a gun battle, neutralising 3 bandits dressed in military camouflage, while other suspects escaped with gunshot injuries. One AK-47 rifle, 21 rounds of ammunition, and a motorcycle were recovered”, he stated.

The CP said that other arrests included a notorious armed robber, Godwin Chia, aka ‘Mortuary’, arrested in Naka on 31st May with a locally fabricated pistol and live G3 ammunition. The syndicate leader terrorising the Gboko axis was also arrested in Abagu on 8th June with a fabricated gun, 5 rounds of ammunition, and suspected charms. He is helping police track other members.

The CP further disclosed the arrest of a gun runner, Aondokula Adi, on 14th June at Benue Links Park with a locally fabricated English pistol hidden in a sack of garri. He said the firearm was sent by a friend to be forwarded to Edo State, with two teenagers also arrested on 15th June at North Bank IDP camp with a locally made pistol.

In Daudu, Akpehe Tyoakaa, 28, was arrested for machete robbery and stealing a motorcycle along Uikpam–Umenger Road. In Otukpa, two men, Ejema Abraham, 27, and Gabriel John, 21, were arrested and confessed to raping a 14-year-old girl who is now pregnant. A suspected cultist, Jafar Muhammad, was arrested at Wadata with a short axe.

In a bizarre case, the police uncovered a staged kidnapping on 27th May. Onyebuchi David Nwankwo, 30, allegedly conspired to fake his own kidnapping after his family paid N1.02 million ransom. He returned on 30th May and was arrested.

In total, the CP said a month’s operations led to the arrest of 10 suspects, 8 victims rescued, 3 bandits neutralised, 17 firearms, 36 rounds of ammunition, 1 military camouflage, 1 motorcycle, 6 charms, and 1 short axe recovered.

The CP further advised that security is a shared responsibility, and urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information. “We assure the public that we will continue to act decisively, professionally, and within the law to keep our communities safe”, he stated.