The Police in Benue State have paraded nine suspects for their involvement in cultism and armed robbery-related activities.
The State Commissioner of Police, Omololu Bishi, who paraded the suspects at the command headquarters in Makurdi, said the feat was achieved following the deployment of more patrol teams within the state to prevent crimes.
He said the suspects were arrested from various locations across the state with some of them engaging in armed robbery activities in addition to cultism.
“On February 10 this year, the ‘B’ Division patrol team, while on routine patrol and based on intelligence gathered, arrested one Victor Egbodo and Udoh Emmanuel, both male of Kanshio in Makurdi, with one axe and a knife at a black spot behind Kids Authority in new Kanshio layout of Makurdi.
“During investigation, suspects confessed being members of System Black Movement (SBM) Confraternity. Suspects will soon be charged to court,” he said.
Bishi listed four other suspects as; Justice Agada (25), Emmanuel Patrick (21), Emmanuel Atoju (19) and Stanley Ugochukwu (20), all male of different addresses in Makurdi.
The police commissioner explained that the four suspects were arrested by his men on patrol in their hideouts, along Onitsha street in Wurukum area of Makurdi metropolis and that two locally fabricated pistols, two live cartridges, one knife and seven wraps of dried leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered from them.
He added that preliminary investigation showed that the suspects belong to various cult groups and are responsible for robbing members of the public of their money, phones, handbags and other valuables.
Bishi further identified the remaining three suspects as; Johnson Ekoja, Emmauel Ogiri and Anthony Ojela as cultists who combined their offences with armed robbery in the Otukpo area of the state.
The CP said the trio were arrested in connection with a robbery incident that took place at No. 24, Jokpama street in Otukpo where they robbed their victim of N275,000, one IPad and a Samsung phone.
He said the suspects’ victim is still lying critical at the hospital as he further listed items recovered from the trio suspects to include, two locally made pistol, one cartridge, one live ammunition, knife and two phones belonging to their victims, adding that they would soon be charged to court.
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