Police Rescue Eight Kidnap Victims, Arrest 17 Over Mob Attack in Benue

By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Benue State Police Command has rescued eight kidnapped travellers in Ohimini Local Government Area, while one victim reportedly died from a gunshot wound sustained during the abduction.

Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi.

Nwadiogbu said the victims were travelling from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to Abuja on Sunday, September 13, when suspected kidnappers intercepted their vehicle at about midnight and forced the passengers into the bush.

According to him, an alarm was raised shortly after the incident, prompting police operatives to launch a rescue operation. Four of the abducted passengers were reportedly abandoned by the kidnappers at the scene.

The commissioner said additional personnel were subsequently deployed to reinforce officers already operating in the forest.

He explained that the operation, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Rapid Response Unit, continued until Friday, September 18, when eight of the victims were successfully rescued.

Nwadiogbu said one of the victims, however, died after sustaining a gunshot wound when the kidnappers allegedly opened fire on the vehicle carrying the travellers.

“They shot and abandoned him. He died because no medical attention was given to him. They abandoned him in a section of the forest, and my men are searching for the corpse,” he said.

The police commissioner also disclosed that operatives arrested a suspect, identified as Sunday Ogwuche, during a stop-and-search operation in Otukpo on September 11, 2026.

He said a locally made firearm was recovered from the suspect, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the source of the weapon.

Police Arrest 17 Over Mob Attack on Officers

In a separate development, Nwadiogbu said the Command arrested 17 people in connection with an alleged mob attack on police officers at Adagi, Jato-Aka, in Kwande Local Government Area.

He said the incident occurred on August 30, 2026, after a vehicle travelling from Taraba State struck a young boy in the community.

According to the commissioner, police officers travelling in the vehicle stopped in an attempt to take the injured boy to hospital but were confronted by an angry mob.

Nwadiogbu said efforts by the Divisional Police Officer in Jato-Aka to bring the situation under control were unsuccessful as some members of the mob allegedly attacked the officers with machetes.

He said the DPO sustained injuries, while another police officer was severely beaten and initially presumed dead by the attackers.

“The officer is still alive, though on life support in an undisclosed hospital in Anambra State. We have arrested 17 persons in connection with the incident, and they are at the State Command awaiting arraignment, while investigation is ongoing,” Nwadiogbu said.

The commissioner warned residents against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that grievances should be reported to the appropriate authorities.

“I want to warn residents not to take the law into their own hands. We are not in a lawless nation,” he said.

Nwadiogbu also advised motorists and passengers to avoid late-night journeys where possible as part of measures to reduce their exposure to security risks.