The police in Benúe State have paraded 13 suspects for their alleged involvement in kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Hassan Steve Yabanet, who paraded the suspects on Tuesday, said the suspects were arrested within the past one month of his assumption in the state, while warning criminals to desist from crime or relocate from Benue State as the command would continue to fight them with all available resources.
He said, “On 20/05/2024 at about 1am, information was received about a kidnapper’s hideout located at Welfare Quarters, Makurdi. A team of police detectives were detailed to the area to trail and arrest suspects.
“Upon arrival of the police at the scene, the kidnappers engaged them in a gun duel but were overpowered by police superior fire power that led to the arrest of Michael Dickson Orinya (19), Ebia Omirigwe (25) and Ejeh Miriam (21); all of various addresses in Otukpo.
“One of the suspects sustained a gunshot injury and was rushed to Benue State University Teaching Hospital where he was confirmed dead and the corpse deposited at the hospital.
“Items recovered from them at the scene include one AK-47 rifle loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition, seven Point of Sale (POS) machines and 150 ATM cards of different banks. Investigation is ongoing. They will soon be charged to court.”
Yabanet also said that on May 6, 2024, at about 2pm while some motorcyclists were plying the Makurdi-Naka road, a group of armed men blocked the highway and robbed them of their motorcycles and also kidnapped a victim and collected N2m from the family.
He said that in the course of the kidnap, a victim raised alarm that led to the arrest of a suspect, Mohammed Ibrahim (21), who could not meet up with his other colleagues as they were being chased.
He said that the suspect confessed to the crime, stating that he and his gang members usually kidnapped people on the Naka-Makurdi road and collected ransom.
The police commissioner also said that on May 16, 2024, at about 10am a group of cultists clashed at the North Bank market and were shooting sporadically before a patrol team within the market swiftly responded to a distress call and arrested Inja Akulega and Lucky Aminu while the other suspects escaped.
Yabanet further said that one Salami Ibrahim (21) was arrested on May 13, with a locally made pistol at Lower Basin, Agboughn, and that on May 14, 2024, at about 6pm, the trio of Anowase Igbayima, Tersoo Weghgba and Terver Angbosu, all of Iniongon, were arrested with a local pistol after they robbed one Kabirm Abdulwaziri of of his Boxer motorcycle.
He added that on May 21, 2024, at about 6am, a team of police and vigilantes arrested another trio, Terna (27), Shitopo (22) and Tisebo John, all of South Core, for robbing people of their phones.
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