The Benue State Police Command has arrested gun manufacturers, armed robbery suspects, and other criminals in separate operations aimed at maintaining the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
The crackdown followed the success of a crime-free festive period during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Parading the suspects, State Commissioner of Police Steve Yabanet said that the police acted on credible information regarding the illegal manufacturing of firearms in Mbaafa, Adikpo, Kwande Local Council. A team of detectives was dispatched to investigate the case.
On January 5, 2025, at around 1:30 p.m., three brothers travelling from Obudu Local Council in Cross River State to Adikpo in Benue were targeted by a commercial motorcyclist who diverted them to a remote area.
The motorcyclist, in collusion with his gang, attempted to rob the brothers, unaware that one of them understood their language. The man alerted his brothers, allowing them to escape, though the robbers chased them into the bush. They were robbed of CFA francs and naira. Two suspects, Terhemba Abugh and Shima Terseer, were arrested.
On January 10, 2025, following intelligence gathering on criminal activities in Daudu, police apprehended 50-year-old Meme Ihoon, a key figure in supplying arms to kidnappers, armed robbers, and cultists in the area. Six dane guns and three long pipes used for fabricating firearms were seized from his residence. Ihoon confessed to manufacturing and selling arms.
A subsequent raid on January 11, 2025, at Mbaafa led to the arrest of two suspects, Friday Aduduakamve and Iorwashima Iornyume (also known as “AK-35”), who were found at a gun fabrication site.
Police recovered nine fabricated pistols, an incomplete AK-47 rifle, gas cylinders, a filing machine, and various tools used in manufacturing rifles.
On January 12, 2025, at approximately 8:50 p.m., a police patrol team responded to an armed robbery incident and arrested Aondoseer Aguetar of Agan North Bank, Makurdi.
Aguetar confessed to the crime.
The Commissioner of Police urged parents, religious leaders, and traditional rulers to collaborate in the fight against crime, stressing the need for continued training of young people in cultural and religious values to curb rising criminal activities.
