Crime suspect in police handcuff
Benue State Police Command has strengthened its collaboration with neighbouring states to tackle criminal activities, even as it announced fresh arrests in connection with the assassination of Prof. Gabriel Saawua Nyityo and his younger brother, Iorngee John Nyityo.
The Command said investigations into the July 8 killings have expanded beyond the principal suspect to other members of the alleged criminal gang, with security agencies in neighbouring Nasarawa State already making additional arrests.
Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiognu, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi on major operational breakthroughs recorded in recent weeks.
The police commissioner revealed that he had already met with his counterpart in Kogi State to strengthen inter-state collaboration aimed at combating criminality and preventing criminals from exploiting state boundaries.
Nwadiognu said investigations had shown that the killings of Prof. Nyityo and his younger brother at Adaka Community were carefully planned assassinations and not a robbery attack as initially speculated.
He explained that after the Command received a distress call at about 2:00 a.m. on the day of the incident, operatives from the ‘D’ Division immediately mobilised to the scene where they recovered the bodies of the victims.
According to him, the Command swiftly placed all police divisions and security checkpoints on alert, leading to the arrest of 23-year-old Abdullahi Usman, an indigene of Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, at a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) checkpoint in Lafia about four hours later.
Nwadiognu revealed that the suspect “felt the NDLEA checkpoint was not manned by policemen and decided to walk across. Unknown to him, the officers had already received information about the incident. They searched him, recovered a phone and from the phone we established that he was one of the suspects.”
He added that security agencies in Nasarawa State, including the Department of State Services (DSS), had intensified investigations, leading to more arrests linked to the crime.
Speaking further, the police commissioner said, “they have made more arrests of those who came with him, and they have assured us they will hand them over. We are also determined to identify and arrest those who assisted them within Benue because there must have been local collaborators.”
According to him, preliminary investigations indicate that some criminal elements responsible for attacks in Makurdi often cross into Benue from neighbouring Nasarawa State before returning after carrying out their operations.
The commissioner also dismissed reports that armed bandits had blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway and were attacking travellers, describing the claims as false and intended to create panic.
“That information was false. It was the handiwork of enemies who wanted to divert our attention and create panic. We patrolled the road from one end to the other. Nothing happened. People travelled freely throughout,” he said.
Highlighting other achievements, Nwadiognu said the Command arrested 10 suspects over the killing of two Fulani leaders after a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area.
He noted that the prompt intervention of police authorities in Benue and Cross River states prevented the incident from escalating into an inter-state communal crisis.
The commissioner further disclosed that police operatives neutralised suspected armed robbers and kidnappers during separate gun battles in Makurdi, Katsina-Ala and Logo local government areas.
Items recovered during the operations included four AK-47 rifles, six locally fabricated pistols, 23 rounds of live ammunition, two motorcycles, mobile phones and assorted charms.
He also said operatives arrested a robbery suspect in Guma Local Government Area and recovered a stolen commercial motorcycle, while 15 suspected criminals were arrested during raids on criminal hideouts in Katsina-Ala, where three bags of substances suspected to be cannabis were recovered.
Nwadiognu further disclosed that five suspected herders were arrested in Guma for allegedly grazing cattle on farmlands, while seven persons were arrested in Naka over the killing of a man during the burial of a youth leader.
The Command also arrested a woman in Ukum Local Government Area for allegedly setting a house ablaze, resulting in the death of two children.
On cult-related activities, the police commissioner said one suspect was arrested following a violent clash between rival cult groups in Makurdi, while 12 suspected cultists were apprehended in Gboko during what investigators described as an annual cult gathering.
He also confirmed the arrest of a suspect linked to the recent deadly attack on Otukpo-Nobi community, adding that investigations had produced useful leads on those who allegedly guided the attackers into the area.
Nwadiognu further disclosed that seven Pakistani nationals intercepted in a hotel in Otukpo during a security operation possessed valid travel documents and claimed they were conducting a market survey ahead of establishing an electronics business.
According to him, the foreigners are currently undergoing profiling by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
The commissioner appealed to residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains crucial to sustaining the fight against crime across the state.
“These breakthroughs reflect our determination to deny criminals any space to operate in Benue State. Security is a shared responsibility, and we urge members of the public to remain vigilant and continue to partner with the police,” he said.
