The Benue State Police Command has announced significant progress in ongoing investigations, including fresh arrests linked to the assassination of Professor Gabriel Saawua Nyityo and his younger brother, Iorngee John Nyityo. According to the Command, the killings that occurred at Adaka Community on July 8 were carefully planned assassinations rather than a robbery attack.
During a Friday briefing at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi, Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu disclosed that after a distress call was received around 2:00 a.m., operatives from the ‘D’ Division mobilized swiftly to the scene. The Command immediately placed all divisions and security checkpoints on alert, leading to the arrest of the principal suspect, 23-year-old Abdullahi Usman from Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Lafia approximately four hours later.
Nwadiogbu explained that the suspect attempted to evade security by dismounting from motorcycles before checkpoints and walking across on foot before rejoining his rider. Investigations have now extended beyond the principal suspect to other members of the alleged gang.
In addition to the assassination case, the police neutralized suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in separate gun battles in Makurdi, Katsina-Ala, and Logo local government areas, recovering four AK-47 rifles, six locally fabricated pistols, 23 rounds of live ammunition, two motorcycles, mobile phones, and assorted charms. Exhibits from these operations were displayed during a Friday parade of criminals.
Further arrests include a robbery suspect in Guma Local Government Area, where a stolen commercial motorcycle was recovered, and 15 suspected criminals during raids on hideouts in Katsina-Ala, where three bags of suspected cannabis were also seized. Five suspected herders were arrested in Guma for allegedly grazing cattle on farmlands, while seven persons were arrested in Naka in connection with the killing of a man during the burial of a youth leader. In Ukum Local Government Area, a woman was arrested for allegedly setting a house ablaze, resulting in the death of two children.
On cult-related activities, one suspect was arrested following a violent clash between rival cult groups in Makurdi, and 12 suspected cultists were apprehended in Gboko during an annual cult gathering. The Command also confirmed the arrest of a suspect linked to the deadly attack on the Otukpo-Nobi community and revealed that seven Pakistani nationals intercepted in a hotel in Otukpo are undergoing profiling by the State Criminal Investigation Department despite claiming to be on a market survey for an electronics business.
Addressing widespread rumours that armed bandits had blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway and were attacking travellers, Nwadiogbu dismissed the claims as deliberate misinformation intended to cause panic. He stated that police patrol teams swept the entire route and found no evidence of any attack, assuring the public that people travelled freely throughout the area.
The Commissioner also addressed reports regarding the Inspector-General of Police’s directive on security checkpoints, clarifying that the directive targets only illegal roadblocks mounted by unauthorised persons and not legitimate security operations. He appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, stressing that public cooperation is vital in the fight against crime.
These recent breakthroughs, including other operational successes recorded between June and July, demonstrate the Benue State Police Command’s determination to deny criminals any space to operate. Nwadiogbu urged citizens to remain vigilant and partner with the police to sustain security across the state.
