6 suspects arrested, 9 kidnap victims rescued in Benue

Six suspects have been arrested by the Benue state police command over their alleged involvement in kidnapping and fraudulent activities.

In a statement released on Wednesday in Makurdi, Catherine Anene, the spokesperson for the Benue State police command, announced that six suspects had been arrested and nine kidnap victims rescued.

According to Anene, the police spokesperson, the six arrested suspects consisted of three kidnappers and three fraudsters.

The PPRO stated that the suspected kidnappers were responsible for the kidnap of some passengers of a Benue Links vehicle after killing the driver.

Part of the statement read, “On the 13/06/2024, at about 1700hrs, information was received that while a Benue Links vehicle was conveying passengers from Onitsha to Makurdi, gunmen suddenly emerged from a nearby forest around Ojano-Oglewu and shot sporadically at the vehicle, causing the vehicle to stop at the forest.

“The driver of the said vehicle sustained gunshot injuries that led to his death while the passengers were kidnapped.

“During an investigation, nine suspects were rescued, while on June 17, 2024, three suspects, named Saleh Hassan ‘M’, Yakubu Alhaji Kande and Yunusa Idris, all of Keana LGA, Nasarawa State were trailed and arrested in connection with the case.”

The statement also revealed that the two suspected fraudsters were apprehended at Kigh village along Naka road on Monday while further investigation was going on.

“During the operation, one Philip Matthew ‘M’, 25 years; Haribu Jafai ‘M’ 27 years and John Ode Arubi ‘M’, 24 years, were arrested,” the statement further read.

The PPRO listed the items recovered from the suspected fraudsters, including two iPhones, five laptops, multiple ATM cards, and five 9mm live ammunition rounds.