For their involvement in cult activities in Makurdi, the state capital and North Bank metropolis, the Police in Benue State have detained 14 further individuals.
At a news conference yesterday at the command’s headquarters in Makurdi, Commissioner of Police CP Steve Yabnet paraded the 14 recently apprehended suspects and said that investigators sent to the murder scene to conduct an investigation had uncovered the suspects’ hiding places.
According to Yabnet, detectives were quickly sent to the area to conduct an investigation after police at Makurdi’s “C” Police Division received word that a young man’s body had been discovered in North Bank Makurdi.
“In the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the death of the suspect was as a result of a rival cult clash. Information was also gathered about their hideouts in the area,” he said.
He added that the suspected cultists were arrested at Avis Hotel and other areas of North-Bank with illicit drugs recovered from their various hideouts.
“On 19/11/2024 at about 2200hrs, a further joint operation was carried out by the operatives of Cyber Crime, Eagle Eye and Anti-cult department of the command. They launched an aggressive raid at hideouts of the suspected cultists and apprehended 14 more suspects.
“The following exhibits were recovered from them; two locally made pistols, three live cartridges, leaves suspected to be marijuana, six mobile phones, cash sum of N23,670.00, one single barrel gun, three ATM cards, criminal charms, shisha smoke pot, one laptop and one graven image,” he explained.
The commissioner promised the suspects would soon be charged to court. The accomplishments demonstrate the command’s dedication to eradicating crime and criminality from the state, Yabnet emphasized, and the battle will continue to protect the safety and security of Benue citizens.