Benue Police Arrest More Suspects in Prof Murder Case

The Benue State Police Command has confirmed fresh arrests in the investigation into the July 8 killing of Professor Gabriel Saawua Nyityo and his younger brother, Iorngee John Nyityo, in Adaka Community, Makurdi, as detectives intensify efforts to dismantle the criminal network behind the assassination. Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu made the announcement during a press briefing at the Police Command Headquarters in Makurdi on Friday, highlighting significant security gains across the state. He emphasized that the incident was not a robbery but a targeted assassination, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and cooperation with security agencies.

Officers from the ‘D’ Division responded swiftly after receiving a distress call around 2:00 a.m., recovering the bodies of both victims at the scene. Within four hours, security forces apprehended the prime suspect, 23-year-old Abdullahi Usman from Awe Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Lafia. Usman attempted to evade detection by dismounting from motorcycles before checkpoints and crossing on foot, believing the checkpoint was unmanned. However, police had already received intelligence about the incident and searched him, recovering a phone that linked him to the crime.

Security agencies in Nasarawa State, including the Department of State Services (DSS), have expanded the investigation, leading to additional arrests. Nwadiogbu stated that those who accompanied Usman have been apprehended and will be handed over to Benue authorities. He also stressed that local collaborators within Benue State are being actively tracked, as preliminary findings suggest criminal gangs often operate from Nasarawa before returning after attacks.

The commissioner dismissed reports of armed bandits blocking the Makurdi-Lafia highway and attacking motorists, calling the claims false and designed to incite panic. He confirmed that police patrolled the entire route and found no evidence of such attacks, with traffic moving freely. He also clarified that the Inspector-General of Police did not order the removal of legitimate police checkpoints, only illegal roadblocks set up by unauthorized persons.

Between June and July, police arrested 10 suspects linked to the killing of two Fulani leaders after a peace meeting in Ohimini, preventing a potential escalation into a wider communal conflict. In separate operations, officers neutralized armed robbers and kidnappers in Makurdi, Katsina-Ala, and Logo, recovering four AK-47 rifles, six locally made pistols, 23 rounds of live ammunition, two motorcycles, mobile phones, and charms. A stolen commercial motorcycle was recovered in Guma, while 15 suspected criminals and three bags of suspected cannabis were seized during raids in Katsina-Ala.

Additional arrests include five suspected herders for grazing on cultivated farmlands in Guma, seven suspects over a killing during a youth leader’s burial in Naka, and a woman in Ukum for allegedly setting a house on fire that killed two children. One suspect was arrested following a cult clash in Makurdi, while 12 others were apprehended in Gboko during an annual cult meeting. A suspect linked to the Otukpo-Nobi attack is also in custody, with investigators gathering intelligence on accomplices.

Seven Pakistani nationals intercepted in Otukpo were found to possess valid travel documents and claimed to be conducting a market survey for an electronics business. They remain under profiling by the State Criminal Investigation Department. Nwadiogbu urged public cooperation, stating that security is a shared responsibility and that timely, credible information is vital to maintaining peace in Benue State.