The Benue State Police Command has announced the arrest of suspected child traffickers, armed robbers as well as cultists and vandals for various criminal offences.
The command who confirmed the arrest on Tuesday said the feat was achieved in collaboration with other security agencies which it said have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of lives and property of people of the state.
The State’s Commissioner of Police, Steve H. Yabanet, in a statement said the child trafficker, one Obadiah Samaila ‘M’ of Kizito Junction Agyaragu, Doduguru in neighbouring Nasarawa State was seen around George Akume way in Makurdi with a boy that he could not give a satisfactory account of the boy’s origin and swiftly, the suspect was arrested and brought to the police station where he confessed to having stolen the child from his house in North Bank for trafficking.
Yabanet said the suspect’s arrest followed the report of a missing child in the area, and immediately information was disseminated to members of the public for useful information about the child’s location, shortly after which Kizito was nabbed.
The CP said the suspected robbers landed in the police net when credible information filtered in that the gang were around Yogbo village in Guma Local Government Area of the state.
He said police detectives at Daudu Division conducted a raid in the area and arrested two suspects, one Yakubu Kantoma ‘m’ 32 yrs and Abu Ishaku ‘m’ 25yrs both of Tse-Kereke in Yogbo village of the government, adding that the suspects have been identified by one of their victims and investigation is ongoing.
CP Yabanet also confirmed the arrest of ten suspected members of two secret cult groups “Black Confraternity and “Red Confraternity” including Simon Mande, Moses Tarlumun, Jamilu Idris, Seleki Joseph, Ahmed Dayabu, Muazu Usman, Akor Ada, Terfa Wergba, Almustapha Abubakar and Usman Gambo all ‘M’ of Wadata area of Makurdi metropolis.
He said, “On 9/2/2025 at about 1530hrs, information was received about renewed cult activities in the area where members of “Black Confraternity” went for a cult meeting across the River Benue and clashed with members of the “Red confraternity”.
During the investigation, three (3) corpses were recovered at the scene; while ten suspects were arrested in connection with the case, adding that the investigation is ongoing to arrest other suspects.
He admonished parents, teachers and other stakeholders to warn their children/wards against such unlawful associations.
CP Yabanet also announced that his men arrested four suspected vandals along Makurdi-Naka road with a Nissan truck loaded with iron pipelines suspected to be stolen.
He said the suspects which included: one Idris Garba, Mohammed Usman, Ibrahim Mohammed and Rafa Muazu all `M’ of Lafia, Nasarawa state and Sunday Demekaa ‘M’ of Gwer-East Local Government Area were unable to give a satisfactory account of how they got these items.
Yabanet said the investigation revealed that the intercepted items were petroleum pipelines being vandalized around the Gwer-Local Government Area and taken to an unknown destination, stressing that the investigation is ongoing to identify other suspects that are connected with the case.
