Benue Police Arrest 17 Suspects Over Mob Attack, Rescue 8 Abducted Victims

The Benue State Police Command has arrested 17 people in connection with an alleged mob attack on it men at Adagi, Jato-Aka, in Kwande Local Government Area.

The Command disclosed that one of the officers attacked still alive though on life support in an undisclosed hospital in Anambra State.

Addressing news conference in Makurdi, on Friday, Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the suspects attacked police officers on August 30, 2026, after a vehicle travelling from Taraba State hit a young boy in the community.

The commissioner said 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 explained that the Divisional Police Officer in Jato-Aka made efforts 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 Command also rescued eight kidnapped travellers in Ohimini Local Government Area, while one victim reportedly died from a gunshot wound sustained during the abduction.

Nwadiogbu said the victims were travelling from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to Abuja on Sunday, September 13, 2026 when suspected bandits 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,” the commissioner stated.