The police on Tuesday displayed persons alleged to have supplied arms to persons believed to have been responsible for attacks on communities in Benue and Taraba States.
Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement on Tuesday evening, confirmed the arrest of eleven suspects within Benue and Taraba States and the recovery of ten AK47 rifles and other assorted firearms and ammunition from them.
The spokesperson said some of the suspects admitted to having sold AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to bandits, mercenaries, and criminal herdsmen/farmers in Benue and Taraba States.
He said in his statement:
“The first suspect, Morris Ashwe 36yrs Native of Mbajima Village Katsina Ala LGA Benue State confessed and admitted to have been supplying firearms and ammunition to the notorious and most wanted vicious and notorious gang leader of militia, murderers and kidnappers Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana who was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force for the merciless killings of several innocent persons and wanton destruction of properties worth Millions of Naira, at ZakiBiam in Benue State on 20th March, 2017 and for other violent crimes such as Culpable Homicide, Mischief by Fire and Criminal Conspiracy and the killing of Mr. Deneen Igbana (late) the Special Adviser on Security to the Governor of Benue State”.
“In the second case, all the three (3) suspects namely Kabiru Idris, Miracle Emmanuel and Husseini Safiyanu were arrested inTaraba State and in their possession Five (5) AK47 rifles, Thirteen (13) AK47 Magazines, Eighty Three (83) Rounds of AK47 Ammunition were recovered. They confessed to have been supplying AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to Militia groups, armed bandits and other criminals in Taraba andBenue States who they admitted have been attacking and killing innocent people in villages in Taraba and Benue States”.
“The third case involving Seven (7) suspected kidnappers. These suspected kidnappers were arrested in the act of movement to kidnap a prominent person in Makurdi Benue State. The arrest was made possible from intelligence gathered by the IGP Intelligence Response Team. Two (2) Beretta Pistols were recovered from them. They confessed to have been responsible for several kidnappings in Benue, Taraba and some part of Nasarawa State in the recent past”.
Mr Moshood said efforts are ongoing to ensure the arrest of other suspects, and that the suspects in police custody will be arraigned in court on completion of the investigation.
He also confirmed the deployment of fifteen Police mobile Force units to boost the Benue State Police Command as part of efforts to ensure security in the State and sustain the peace that has been restored.
