IGP Kayode Egbetokun has announced that 28 suspects were arrested in connection with the deadly attack on Yelwata community in Benue state, but two of them have been cleared.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the IGP said the cleared individuals were used as bait to apprehend 26 suspected masterminds of the killings that left 47 people dead in Guma LGA.
He said police operatives are still tracking other suspects linked to the massacre, assuring Nigerians that law enforcement authorities are not overwhelmed.
“We are making progress. More arrests will follow,” he said.
Egbetokun added that the police are intensifying efforts to mop up light and small arms illegally in circulation and are also stepping up border patrols to reduce the inflow of irregular migrants.
He disclosed that the 26 Yelwata suspects would be charged to court soon, along with 22 other suspects arrested in Jos over the killing of nine persons travelling to a wedding in Quanpan, Plateau state.
On Sunday, security agencies in Benue announced the arrest of unnamed suspects linked to the Yelwata killings, but the identities and numbers were not disclosed at the time.
The arrests follow a presidential directive issued last Wednesday, when President Bola Tinubu, during a visit to the state, ordered the service chiefs and the IGP to “get those criminals” behind the killings.
He had also charged intelligence chiefs to enhance coordination.
“DG NIA, DG SSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again,” Tinubu stated.
