Police arrest mastermind of Benue killings

Following strict orders by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to his Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and other operational apparatus of the police, the mastermind of the Fulani herdsmen responsible for the recent attacks in Benue State, was arrested by the police.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Joshak Habillah, who made this disclosure on behalf of the IGP said the mastermind was arrested after deploying the most advanced technology and trailing him for more than three weeks.


The suspect, who was identified as 40-year-old Alhaji Laggi, was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Tunga Forrest in Nasarawa State.

Aside Laggi, the police authorities said four other principal suspects were arrested between February 16 to 19 also in Tunga town, Nasarawa State, in possession of AK47 rifles and other prohibited arms.

The four suspects were arrested in connection to the killing of Sergeant Solomon Dung, other police officers and many innocent citizens in Benue State.

While Laggi was fingered as the mastermind, the other four were identified as Mallam Mumini Abdullahi, 34, Muhammed Adamu, 30 and Ibrahim Sule, 32.

During preliminary interrogations, the suspects confessed to the killings and mentioned their fleeing gang members who are in possession of the police rifles they took from the cops they murdered.

Already the police said serious follow up is in progress in Benue, Taraba and Benue States.

It would be recalled that the IGP had given the Marching orders on Sunday by deploying three additional Police Mobile Force units (PMF) following the recent killings of citizens in the Zurmi area of Zamfara State.

The additional deployment brought to 10 the PMF units dispatched to the state in the recent time to augment the personnel of the Zamfara State Police Command, to maintain law and order and sustain the normalcy that has been restored in Zurmi and other parts of the state.

The IGPhad also dispatched a high-powered joint investigation team headed by an assistant inspector general of police.

He also ordered the arrest of the perpetrators just as he placed commissioners of police, assistant general of police in the state contiguous to Zamfara State on red alert.

According to the IGP, the mandate of the joint police investigation was to arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of the killings, investigate the incident in totality with a view to unravelling the remote and direct causes of the unfortunate killings and prevent occurrence of such in the future.

They were also mandated to arrest and disarm all suspected bandits, militias and criminal groups in possession of prohibited firearms and restricted weapons in the region.