The Benue State Police Command said it has rescued a nursing mother and her one year old son, (names withheld) from kidnappers den.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Omololu Bishi disclosed this when he addressed newsmen in his office at the command headquarters, in Makurdi, on Friday.
Bishi said the victim and her son were kidnapped from their home in Adoka, Otukpo Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state, on April 23, 2019 and taken to an unknown destination.
According to the CP, on April 23, at about 4am, the police got information that unknown gunmen abducted the victim to an unknown destination.
He said “Policemen at Adoka swung into action immediately and arrested one Benedict Paul of Adoka with one locally made pistol and one expended cartridge.”
He said Benedict Paul was arrested alongside two other members of his gang for abducting the nursing mother while efforts are being made to arrest the other suspects who are currently at large.
Narrating her ordeal, the nursing mother told newsmen that the kidnappers had come to her compound in Adoka and requested to see her husband who they claimed knew and is hiding the killer of their brother.
The victim who spoke Idoma language, through an interpreter, said “They told me that they had come to take revenge for their brother’s death. They pointed a gun at me and my co-wife and before I could say a word, they forcefully put me on a bike and drove away.
“On getting to a place, they knelt me down and was about to kill me when Adoka Youths and villagers who saw us alerted the police to come an rescue me”.
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Speaking amidst tears, she thanked God and the Police for rescuing and saving her life and that of her child.
CP Bishi also paraded seven other suspects including five suspects arrested for armed robbery, cultism and kidnapping. He gave their names as Nande Levi Akor Alias Makadon, Kunavyima Gah Alias X-Boy, Fanen David Yange, Yima Agber and Akper Awma all from Gboko area of the state.
According to the commissioner, on April 22, 2019, at about 2200hrs, the police was informed that a group of cultists led by one Nande Levi were grouping for their usual robbery and kidnap activities.
He said a team of policemen were deployed to the scene where the suspects were arrested adding that on the spot search of the suspects led to the recovery of one locally made pistol loaded with cartridges.
He said the suspects have also confessed to be members of the Red Vikings confraternity.
The commissioner also said one Tmidi Bekus of the Benue State University, Makurdi was arrested during a routine patrol by DSS operatives around Benue State Library, Wurukum. He was searched on the spot and one locally made pistol loaded with three rounds of live cartridges, one Tecno android phone and Microsoft phone were recovered from him.
One Musa Garba was also arrested with a short axe on 20/04/2019 at about 9 pm at Wadata area of Makurdi. On interrogation he confessed to being a member of the Black Axe cult.
Bishi, who disclosed that the police had intelligence that some criminals were regrouping to relocate to Makurdi town said the command would continue to monitor their activities to ensure that criminals had no hiding place in the state.
He urged members of the Benue public to continue to avail necessary information to police officers to serve them better just he warned all criminal elements in the state to flee the state or face the full wrath of the law when caught
