Police Repel Herdsmen Attack in Benue, Arrest Personnel Over Attempted Arms, Drug Smuggling to NYSC Camp
The Benue State Police Command on Friday foiled an attempted attack by suspected armed herdsmen in Adaka Village, along the Makurdi-Naka Road, even as it arrested one of its own personnel in a separate incident involving the illegal transport of arms and suspected drugs to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Jos, Plateau State, PRNigeria learnt.
In the first incident, tactical police teams deployed from Daudu to Yelwata responded to intelligence reports about the movement of armed herders around Adaka Village and surrounding areas within the Makurdi metropolis. Upon arrival at the hotspot around 12:30 p.m., officers encountered heavily armed herdsmen openly grazing on farmland.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the assailants opened fire on sighting the operatives, sparking a gun duel. The police responded with superior firepower and repelled the attack. One officer, Inspector Ankyume Moses, attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) Base 20 in Abuja but currently on special duty in Daudu Division, sustained a bullet wound to his left leg during the exchange.
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He was immediately evacuated to the Police Clinic in Makurdi, where an X-ray confirmed that the bullet did not damage any bone. He is reportedly responding well to treatment. The police assured that normalcy has since been restored in the area, and patrols have been intensified to prevent further violence or attacks on farmlands and surrounding communities.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the command arrested a serving police constable, Ageli George, attached to the X-Squad unit in Makurdi, over an attempt to aid in the illegal shipment of a consignment containing a locally made pistol, gunpowder, and suspected Indian hemp to an NYSC camp.
The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on the same day, June 21, following a distress call from a security personnel at a motor park. A yet-to-be-identified man had reportedly brought two sacks containing tubers of yam mixed with illegal items, allegedly intended for one Gedor Justice, an Idoma indigene said to be serving at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Jos.
Sensing trouble during the attempted delivery, Justice reportedly contacted Constable George to intervene and facilitate the shipment. However, before George arrived at the park, the original sender fled the scene and has since gone into hiding.
The police have taken the constable and the seized items into custody, while the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched a full investigation to unravel the network behind the attempted trafficking. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and determine the exact motive behind the delivery.
The Benue State Police Command reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on officer misconduct and criminal collaboration, stressing that justice will be served and all individuals found culpable will face the full weight of the law.
By PRNigeria
