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The Benue State Police Command has arrested four suspects linked to the abduction of nine worshippers at St. John Catholic Church in Ojiije, Utonkonkon community, Ado Local Government Area, while recovering an AK-47 rifle and assorted ammunition during follow-up operations.
The victims—six girls and three boys—were kidnapped during a night vigil on February 8, 2026, in an incident that drew widespread condemnation and prompted a high-level security response.
Confirming the developments in a statement, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Udeme Edet said operatives of the Ado Division, acting on credible intelligence, arrested two suspects—Abubakar Jibril and Ashiru Ibrahim—on February 11, 2026. The duo were found in possession of five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
The suspects were immediately handed over to the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for further investigation. On February 14, the IRT, working alongside tactical teams from the Benue Command, raided a suspected hideout connected to the syndicate, leading to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle and eight rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
Sustained search-and-rescue operations, combined with pressure from community members across the Ado axis, forced the criminal network to release the nine victims unharmed.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, commended the collaboration between security agencies, the Benue State Government, the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, the Chairman of Ado LGA, the Nigerian Army, and the Benue Civil Protection Guard. He assured residents of intensified efforts to track fleeing members of the syndicate, with the Criminal Investigation Department and IRT continuing comprehensive investigations.
In a renewed push to strengthen security, the Inspector-General of Police has approved the deployment of the Police Air Wing for aerial surveillance, alongside additional tactical teams to reinforce presence across the state.
CP Emenari reassured the public of the Command’s unwavering determination to eliminate kidnapping, banditry, cultism, and other violent crimes in Benue. He called for continued vigilance and prompt reporting of suspicious activities.
Further developments, the police said, will be communicated in due course. The successful rescue and arrests have been widely welcomed as a significant morale boost for communities long affected by insecurity in the region.
