By Samson Kukwa-Yanor

The police have arrested the north central commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force Dr Jonah Ogbaji.

Ogbaji who is also a medical doctor and proprietor of Multicare clinic was attending to patients in his hospital located in the Ankpa ward area of Makurdi around 9pm on Wednesday night when he was arrested.

The arrest of Dr Ogbaji who is a widely known personality in Benue by the special police unit which came from Abuja generated a lot of tension within Makurdi metropolis and across the state as it could not be immediately established whether it was an arrest or a kidnap.

When The Guardian contacted his family, his daughter Patience Ogbaji said that though she was not at the hospital with her dad at the time of the incident, the staff informed the family that the officers conducted themselves in the manner of law enforcement agents. She said that they brandished ID cards and made their guns visible but didn’t point them at anyone as they whisked their boss away.

According to Patience, immediately after the incident, the family quickly went round all the police stations in Makurdi but none knew the whereabouts of her father.

The family then waited until the morning of Thursday. When they still didn’t hear from the CJTF Commander nor contacted by anybody,  they panicked and decided to make public announcements as to the circumstances of his arrest and whereabouts.

But the Benue state police command however confirmed the arrest and allayed all fears of an abduction.

Police Public Relations Officer Benue state command DSP Peter Orchia explained that the CJTF Commander “was arrested yesterday at his hospital by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) attached to the Force Intelligence Department (FID), of Abuja, in connection with an ongoing investigation. The specific circumstances surrounding the investigation are not yet known to the Command”, he said.

Dr. Jonah Ogbaji serves as the North Central Commandant of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Nigeria. He was appointed to the position by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in February 2026 based on his background and track record in human development and security studies.

Dr. Ogbaji holds a PhD in Security Studies from Nasarawa University, Keffi. He is a pioneer lecturer in the Department of Security Studies at Benue State University.