CRIME
Police Arrests 42 Armed Bandits, Remands 10 Herders over Benue Killings
…’Religious Bandits Fueling Crisis’, Alia Insists
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Benue State Police Command said it has arrested 42 local armed bandits and herders across some communities in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Ifeanyi Emenari, who disclosed this during his maiden media briefing held at the police officer mess Makurdi explained that those arrested were suspected to have been involved in the incessant killings going on in the state.
He pointed out that the armed Fulani herdsmen and bandits will face full trial.
According to Police Commissioner Emenari, most of the suspects were arrested upon his assumption of duty in the last one month.
He maintained that the command had taken the fight to those responsible for the attacks and killings in Benue communities, stressing that tactical teams have already been drafted to flashpoints across communities in the state.
“I was posted to Benue State on the 24/04/2025 and assumed duty on the 26 April 2025. Upon assumption of duty, I step up strategic plans to tackle insecurity in the state.
“I visited crisis areas such as Ankpali in Apa, Naka in Gwer West, Ayilamo in Logo, Amafu in Katsina-Ala, Ukum, Agatu, Udei, Yogbo in Guma Local Government Areas, and many others. I had discovered that farmlands have no farmers. Therefore, we have deployed our tactical teams to the areas and are now combing the communities in search of the killers.
“We have a mandate to ensure that these communities are safe for the people to go back to their homes and engage in farming activities.
“And in the last one month we have arrested 42 armed herdsmen and local bandits from these communities. Most of them have been charged to court.
“We also have about 10 herdsmen who have been remanded by the courts in the course of their trial.
“Apart from those already charged to court, there are others who are still being investigated and they would be charged to court at the end of investigations.”
“The command also recovered two AK47 rifles and 21 locally made firearms from the suspects. We had taken the fight to cult gangs in the state “that is why we have not witnessed or recorded cult related attacks in the state in the last one month since I assumed office.
The kidnap incidents that happen regularly along Makurdi – Lafia federal highway have reduced drastically as we have arrested those perpetrating the acts and are currently in jail.
“We have designed a plan to respond to any distress call within 30mns depending on the locations within the state”, Emenari added.
The CP assured that the command would ensure that peace and security is restored to every nook and cranny of the state.
He appealed to Benue people particularly in the rural communities and urban centres to cooperate with the police in its task of ensuring the security of lives and property in the state.
He commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for his support to the Command, maintaining that his desire to ensure peace and security in the state would be achieved.
“The entire governor wanted to make sure farmers go back to their farms and people are provided with adequate security to enable them to go on with their lawful business. We are ready to achieve that with the governor support”, he said
Similarly, the Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia has reiterated that some politicians and “Religious bandits” are responsible for the needless crisis and aiding the killings of innocent people in the State.
The Governor stated this while addressing the Pro-Tinibu group who staged a rally at the Government House Roundabout Makurdi, the state capital as part of the activities marking this year’s June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
According to the Governor, “The Religious Bandits are the ones fuelling the insecurity situation being experiencing in the state.
“They are doing this through their consistent rhetoric of unverified comments and distortion of facts.
“There are some religious leaders I call ‘religious bandits’ who are fueling the bad situation we are experiencing here. And how do they support that, by their rhetoric. If you do not have the facts about Benue and Nigeria, shut up. Don’t just say something because you have the holy altar and oil to speak. Speak what you know and what can be verified.
“There are some leaders who are fanning the embers of discord that peace should not return to the State.
“We are still faced with insecurity as our people are killed unprovoked. We will take out this total menace and carnage of killings. We will not rest on our oars to ensure that total peace returns to Benue especially in the 6 LGAs that are in the frontline of insecurity.
“Am confident that with the support of the President, we are going to get rid of insecurity completely in the State. Some traditional and religious leaders are also marching and fighting with us for peace to return to the State. Our people are suffering a lot and for some of us we have taken an oath to defend them and bring back peace”.
“The day calls for sober reflection of how far the state and nation has journeyed in 26 years of uninterrupted democratic government, adding “We must pay tribute to the heroes who fought for democracy and sacrificed their lives for the unity of the country
“Those heroes some are with us, others have gone to be with the Lord. They went through a lot including imprisonment, sacrificing for the unity of our country. It is not yet over for us. As we celebrate this day, people of conscience should note that what unites us is greater than what divides us. So, we must think positively for the State and the nation. We should have faith and hope for the nation.
“Let us have a change of attitude and a different way of thinking. Let us sacrifice for the state and nation some more. Bring solutions to us and stop putting kerosene on fire. Let us know that Nigeria is our country and we can’t have another one.
“Let us be our brother’s keeper. To the youths, a new Benue is possible and you are the new Benue. Let us do our best to ensure that Benue State is for prosperity and is secured. I am with the masses because they are with the people”, he stated.
From Francis Sadhere, Delta
A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, bringing to an end a legal battle that lasted about nine years.
Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, who delivered judgment on Wednesday, convicted Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was murdered in 2019 after she reportedly left to meet a man who had promised to help her secure accommodation within the DELSU community in Abraka. Her death sparked widespread outrage across the country after investigations alleged that parts of her body, including her eyes, breasts and heart, had been removed in what was believed to be a ritual killing linked to suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Plus” operators.
The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, prosecuted the defendants on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society and murder.
A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died during the course of the trial.
The proceedings suffered repeated delays over the years, largely due to the frequent absence of counsel representing the first defendant. After the parties adopted their final written addresses earlier this year, Justice Azinge reserved judgment before delivering her verdict on July 29, 2026.
Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution alongside Okolotu Ugochukwu and Funkekeme Solomon Junior, described the verdict as a landmark victory for justice.
Erebe said the court found the two convicted defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder. While they received varying prison terms on some of the counts, he noted that the offences relating to conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Ogege attracted the death sentence by hanging.
He expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, saying they had waited for years to see justice served.
“Although this judgment cannot bring Elozino back, we hope it provides some measure of closure to her family. They have waited about nine years, and today justice has finally been served,” he said.
Erebe added that the judgment should serve as a deterrent to those involved in ritual killings and other violent crimes, warning that no matter how long it takes, offenders would eventually be brought to justice.
Counsel to the first defendant, Benjamin Okoh, also reacted to the judgment, describing it as “justice at last.”
He said the judgment demonstrated that justice had not only been done but had been seen to have been done. Okoh also commended the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for its role throughout the trial and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.
From Aliyu Askira, Kano
A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Farida Dan Baffa, has sentenced one Sha’aibu Abdulkadir, to death for the murder of a newly married pregnant woman, Rumasa’u Shuaibu.
Abdulkadir had claimed during the trial that he killed the pregnant woman after she informed him that the baby in her womb belonged to him and not her newly married husband.
The culprit also told the court that the deceased had demanded N500,000 from him and threatened to expose their secret relationship if he failed to pay the money within a given period.
According to evidence before the court, Abdulkadir visited the deceased at her residence in 2025, where he allegedly killed her after she informed him that she was pregnant with his child rather than her husband.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the defendant testified by himself.
In a judgement delivered on July 24, 2026, the Judge sentenced Abdulkadir to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering a newly married 23 year old Rumasa’u Shuaibu.
After reviewing the evidence and submissions of both parties, Justice Dan Baffa ruled that the prosecution had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.
The Police Commander in Rivers has arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and rescued a woman abducted from her shop in the state.
The command’s Spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, disclosed this on Thursday in Port Harcourt.
Agabe said that a white-tinted minibus allegedly used by the gang was also recovered.
She also said that the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Rescue Unit.
According to her, the victim’s husband, Ikechukwu, 35, reported the abduction on July 11.
“The woman was attending to customers at her shop when armed men stormed the premises and abducted her. The suspects forced the victim into a white-tinted minibus before fleeing the scene.
“Following the report, the command launched an intelligence-driven investigation which led operatives to the gang’s hideout.
“Four male suspects, aged between 28 and 42, were arrested at the hideout. The victim was rescued unharmed during the operation.”
Agabe added that all the four suspects have confessed to their individual roles in the crime.
The spokesperson said efforts were ongoing to apprehend two other members of the syndicate still at large and to recover the firearms used in their operations.
She urged residents to provide prompt and credible information to the police, assuring that “every useful piece of information provided will be treated with the utmost confidentiality”.
She reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through intelligence-led policing and lawful strategies aimed at bringing criminal elements to justice.
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