The police have arrested 18 suspects in connection with the killings in Zaki Biam and other parts of Benue State.
The Force also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the house of a notorious kingpin, Terwaze Awkaza popularly known as Gana.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris disclosed this on Wednesday at the monthly IG conference with senior police officers at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
He stated that Gana deceived the public by accepting the amnesty declared for hoodlums by the Benue State government, adding that he surrendered dane guns and old weapons while keeping dangerous, sophisticated weapons in his armoury.
Idris said, “Gana deceived the public by accepting amnesty and surrendered a few old guns, but he kept dangerous weapons in his bunker. With the arms he had, you would think he wants to attack a whole country.
“I commend the state governor who admitted that they made a mistake by granting him amnesty. Now, we have 18 suspects in custody and we are on the trail of Gana who had been declared wanted.”
He added that a number of suspects had also been nabbed in Kaduna by the special forces deployed in the state to stop the violent clashes between the indigenes and Fulani herdsmen.
Idris explained that his administration planned to create more area police commands to curb crimes at the grassroots and to bring the police closer to the people, noting that the Force was also thinking of establishing more Police Mobile Force squadrons across the country.
He advised state Commissioners of Police to liaise with state governments for land for the construction of affordable housing estates for the rank and file.
The IG decorated 11 Commissioners of Police and an Assistant Commissioner of Police with their new ranks.
Source – Punch
