TheCable

Usman Baba, acting inspector-general of police, says 10 suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack on the convoy of Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state.

On March 20, gunmen attacked the convoy of Ortom at Tyo Mu along Makurdi-Gboko road while the governor was on a visit to a farm.

The attack on Ortom sparked a series of reactions from Nigerians.

Narrating the incident at the time, Ortom said the gunmen, numbering about 15, trailed his convoy to the river bank where he was on foot with his security detail to inspect a farm and opened fire on them.

Ortom had commended his security detail for their efforts, adding that troops of operation whirl stroke, the police, and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) mobilised to the forest between Tyo Mu and Abinse where the attackers were thought to be camped.

Speaking on the development at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Baba explained why there has been a delay in arraignment of the suspects.

He noted that the suspects are currently in detention and they could not be charged to court, owing to the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

“Those who organised and those who pulled the trigger have all been arrested and investigation is ongoing,” he said.

“We have had them for over a month, but the courts have been closed for over three months. Where do I take them to?”