Police arrest four suspects over abduction of nine worshippers in Benue

The Benue state police command has arrested four suspectsover the abduction of nine worshippers in Ojije, Utonkon, Ado LGA. The worshippers were kidnapped on February 8 while observinga night vigil at St. John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, but were freed few dayslater through rescue efforts by security operatives. In a statement on Sunday, Udeme Edet, the command’sspokesperson, said police had intensified efforts to apprehend other members ofthe kidnapping network who are currently on the run. Edet said investigations are being handled by the criminalinvestigation department in collaboration with the inspector-general of policeintelligence response team (IRT). She said the rescue of the victims was achieved throughcoordinated efforts with other security agencies. According to the police, two suspects were first arrested onFebruary 11 after operatives of the Ado division acted on credibleintelligence. ”On 11th February 2026, operatives of the Ado Division,acting on credible intelligence, arrested two suspects — Abubakar Jibril (male)and Ashiru Ibrahim (male) — in connection with the night-vigil kidnappingincident,” Punch quoted her as saying. “The suspects were found in possession of five (5) rounds of7.62mm ammunition. In line with established investigative procedures, thesuspects were handed over to the Inspector General of Police IntelligenceResponse Team (IRT) for further investigation.” Edet said a follow-up operation on February 14 led to a raidon the hideout of Ashiru Ibrahim by IRT operatives and tactical teams of theBenue police command. “The operation led to the recovery of one (1) AK-47 rifleand eight (8) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, as well as the arrest of twoadditional suspects believed to be key members of the kidnapping syndicate,”she added. “Investigations so far have clearly established that thearrested suspects are directly linked to the abduction that occurred during thenight vigil at St. John Catholic Church. “As a result of sustained pressure mounted throughcoordinated search-and-rescue operations across the Ado axis and adjoiningcommunities, the kidnapped victims were successfully released unhurt.” The police spokesperson also noted that theInspector-General of police approved the deployment of the Nigeria Police Air Wing, alongside additional tactical units, to strengthen security operations inBenue. According to her, the deployment is intended to improveintelligence-led policing and limit the operational capacity of criminal groupsin the state. Ifeanyi Emenari, the state’s commissioner of police,commended the support of the Benue state government, the leadership of theCatholic diocese, the chairman of Ado LGA, and other security agencies,including the Nigerian Army. Emenari said the collaboration played a critical role in thesuccessful rescue of the worshippers and reaffirmed the command’s commitment tocombating kidnapping, banditry, cultism and other violent crimes in the state.

Read More