The Benue State Police Command has said its operatives killed a notorious bandit in Ukum Local Government Area and arrested eight suspects over a violent cult clash in Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area.
The police spokesperson, Udeme Edet, said in a statement dated 8 January that officers attached to the Jato-Aka Division responded to a violent confrontation between rival cult groups known as Red and Black on Wednesday.
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“The clash resulted in the death of two male persons, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment,” Ms Edet said.
She said eight suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, while items recovered included “one locally fabricated pistol, one expended cartridge, two axes and two machetes.” According to her, efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects who fled the scene.
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In a related operation on the same day, Ms Edet said the police in Ukum Local Government Area acted on credible intelligence that armed bandits were planning to kidnap a hotelier around Channel Two, Zaki-Biam.
He said a patrol team was immediately deployed to the area.
“On sighting the police operatives, the bandits opened fire. The patrol team responded with superior firepower, during which one of the bandits sustained fatal gunshot injuries,” the police spokesperson said.
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She said the injured suspect was taken to the General Hospital in Zaki-Biam, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
The deceased was identified as Terkaa Samuel, described as a notorious bandit from Jandekyula in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Items recovered from the suspect, according to the police, included “one locally fabricated Beretta pistol, two rounds of live 9mm ammunition and one bag containing charms.”
Mr Edet added that additional patrol and tactical teams had been deployed to track fleeing bandits who escaped with possible gunshot wounds.
The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, said the command remained committed to protecting lives and property, urging residents to provide timely and credible information to security agencies.
The latest police operations come as Benue grapples with cult-related violence in several local government areas.
The PUNCH reports indicated that at least eight people were killed in cult clashes in Otukpo, Gboko, Makurdi and Jato-Aka in Kwande Local Government Area.
Police had earlier confirmed that two people were killed in the Jato-Aka clash, while subsequent violence in Makurdi reportedly claimed three lives in the Wurukum area.
Similar incidents in Otukpo and Gboko, linked to rival gangs fighting for territorial control, had left several others dead in the days preceding the Jato-Aka violence.
Security agencies say the arrests in Kwande and the killing of the suspected bandit in Ukum form part of broader efforts to contain escalating criminal activities in the state.
Residents, however, continue to express concern over the persistence of cult violence, armed robbery and banditry across Benue, particularly in urban centres and border communities.
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