Security Operatives Arrest Four Armed Travellers In Benin, Recover Weapons

OPERATIVES of the Edo State Security Network (ESN) have arrested four suspected armed travellers in Benin City, the state capital, and recovered weapons from them in the process, less than one month after the lynching of 16 armed suspects said to be hunters from Kano State at Uromi in Esan North-East Local Council, led to public outrage and concern over unhindered movement of armed men from one part of the country to another under any guise.
The suspects, Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris and Jamilu Habibu, were accosted at Ikpoba Hill while travelling from Doguwa in Kano State to Uvbe Community in Orhionmwon Local Council for yet unclear reasons.
Spokesman of the state Police Command, Moses Joel Yamu (CSP), listed items recovered from the suspects as three Dane guns, six empty cartridges, three half-filled cartridges, four cutlasses and two daggers from the suspects.
He clarified: “The Command wishes to inform the general public that four (4) suspects- Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris and Jamilu Habibu, intercepted by a member of the Edo Security Network with three (3) Dane guns, six (6) empty cartridges, three (3) half-filled cartridges, four (4) cutlasses and two (2) daggers, were swiftly taken over by officers from the Ikpoba Hill Police Station.”
Yamu dismissed reports that four herdsmen armed with guns were arrested at Americanus Hotel on Osemwenkhae Street, after Big Joe motors, Ramat Park Orogbeni Quarters, and handed over to the Police, saying: “Preliminary investigation reveals that they are hunters, not herdsmen. They were from Doguwa in Kano State heading to Uvbe Community in Orhionwon LGA of Edo State.
“Meanwhile, investigation is ongoing.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, has urged residents of the state to avoid spreading unverified information that could stoke fear or ethnic tension.
“We appeal to the public to always verify any information before sharing.
“False reports only serve to create panic and disrupt peace in our communities,” he stated.