Benue Police Rescue 29 Kidnap Victims, Arrest 48 Suspects
By Aloysius Chiahemba, Makurdi
Twenty-nine kidnap victims, including a Reverend Father and 17 farmers, have regained their freedom following police operations in Benue State, while 48 suspects, including 34 foreign nationals, have been arrested in a series of security operations.
The rescued victims were abducted in separate incidents across the state, including attacks on rural communities and major roads, highlighting the continuing threat posed by kidnappers and armed criminals.
The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this on Tuesday during a briefing at the Command headquarters in Makurdi, where he presented the operational achievements recorded in October.
He said the Command arrested 16 Cameroonian nationals in Otukpo Local Government Area on 9 October over alleged clandestine activities and failure to produce the required travel documents.
Another 18 Nigerien nationals were intercepted at Orokam, Ogbadibo LGA, on 22 October while reportedly travelling to Ikom, Cross River State.
According to Nwadiogbu, the suspects failed to provide satisfactory explanations about their journey and circumstances of entry into Nigeria.
They were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and profiling.
He said the Nigeria Immigration Service would be involved in establishing their immigration status, adding that investigations were ongoing.
The police commissioner also reported the arrest of 14 other suspects for various offences, the recovery of seven locally fabricated firearms and 16 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, as well as the neutralisation of a suspected bandit during the period.
Kidnap victims rescued
Giving details of the rescue operations, Nwadiogbu said four passengers abducted on 5 October after gunmen attacked a commercial vehicle along the Uzer Village axis of the Ayilamo-Tse-Abi Road in Logo LGA were rescued through a joint operation involving the police, Operation Whirl Stroke, Benue State Civil Protection Guards and local hunters.
The driver was killed during the attack.
In another operation on 7 October, 17 farmers abducted from Tse-Acha and Tse-Wuam communities in Bamun Village, Tombo District, Logo LGA, were rescued by personnel of Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke and local vigilantes.
Eight other victims, including a Reverend Father, who were abducted on 13 October along the Ugbokolo-Ajegbe-Awume Road in Ohimini LGA, were rescued between 16 and 18 October.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.
Weapons recovered, suspects arrested
Nwadiogbu said the Command also made arrests linked to cultism, illegal possession of firearms and violent crimes in Naka, Makurdi, Aliade and Katsina-Ala.
In Katsina-Ala, three suspects were arrested on 22 October following alleged threats and property destruction linked to a land dispute. Police recovered two locally fabricated pistols, four live cartridges and items bearing cult-related inscriptions, including a banner identified as belonging to De Norsemen Kclub International.
The commissioner further disclosed that one suspected bandit was neutralised and a firearm recovered after police personnel responded to an attack on Operation Zenda operatives along the Amaafu-Abaji Road in Katsina-Ala on 2 October.
On other violent crimes, he said a suspect, Hemen Wuese, was arrested over the alleged severe physical abuse of two children in Injorov Village, Turan, Kwande LGA.
The incident reportedly resulted in the death of one of the children.
Three suspects were also arrested over the killing of a resident along Maiduguri Street, Wadata, Makurdi, on 14 October.
In a separate case, a 60-year-old man was arrested in Igumale, Ado LGA, over the alleged defilement of a 10-year-old girl.
The commissioner attributed the arrests and rescues to intelligence-led policing, prompt responses to distress calls, sustained patrols and cooperation among security agencies and community stakeholders.
He urged residents to provide credible and timely information to security agencies, stressing that public cooperation remained essential to preventing crime, locating suspects and rescuing victims.
Nwadiogbu commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and other security agencies, community leaders, local vigilantes and residents for supporting efforts to maintain law and order in the state.
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