Four persons have been arrested in connection with the abduction of worshippers in Ado Local Government Area (LGA), Benue State.
Nine worshipers were abducted last week while attending a night vigil at St. John Catholic Church, Ojeji, Ado LGA.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benue State Command, DSP Edet Udeme, in a statement issued on Sunday, February 15, said, “As a result of sustained pressure mounted through coordinated search-and-rescue operations across the Ado axis and adjoining communities, the kidnapped victims were successfully released unhurt.”
According to the statement, two suspects, Abubakar Jibril (male) and Ashiru Ibrahim (male), were arrested on February 11 following credible intelligence. The suspects were found in possession of five (5) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, the statement adds. Two more “suspects believed to be key members of the kidnapping syndicate” were arrested on February 14, with one (1) AK-47 rifle and eight (8) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition recovered during the operation.
The suspects have been handed over to the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for further investigation in line with established investigative procedures, DSP Udeme said.
Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, commended the security operatives in the state “for their quick response and timely intervention leading to the rescue of the 9 children who were kidnapped from Saint John Catholic Church in Ojije, Utonkon community in Ado Local Government Area of Benue state during a midnight prayer session.”
Chief Solomon Iorpev, Technical Adviser to the Governor, said the Governor, who received the news of the rescue in high spirits, appreciated the effective collaboration between the conventional security and the local vigilante groups that ensured the safe return of the victims.
