Police Arrest 23-Year Old Suspect Over Alleged Killing Of Benue Professor, Brother

The Benue State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old suspect, Abdullahi Usman, in connection with the killing of a Professor of History at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), formerly Benue State University (BSU), Prof. Gabriel Nyityo, and his younger brother, John Nyityo.

The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, saying officers attached to the ‘D’ Division in Makurdi responded to a distress call along the Adaka axis, where they found the bodies of the two victims.

The deceased were identified as Prof. Gabriel Saawua Nyityo, 58, and his 19-year-old younger brother, John Nyityo. Police said the two were allegedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

Edet said investigations led to the arrest of Abdullahi Usman, 23, from Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects linked to the crime.

According to the statement, “Officers of ‘D’ Division responded to a distress call along the Adaka axis and, on arrival, discovered the bodies of Prof. Gabriel Saawua Nyityo, 58, and his younger brother, John Nyityo, 19, who were killed by unknown gunmen.”

It added, “The suspect, Abdullahi Usman, 23, of Awe, Nasarawa State, has been arrested in connection with the crime. Investigation is ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.”

LEADERSHIP had earlier reported that Prof. Nyityo, a senior lecturer in the Department of History at MOAUM, was shot dead by gunmen who attacked his residence in the Adaka area, behind the Makurdi Industrial Layout, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Security sources had said the assailants invaded the residence and killed the professor along with his younger brother before fleeing the scene. Investigation into the motive for the attack is ongoing.