Police officers | File photo
Officers of the Benue state police command have reportedly apprehended a suspected notorious armed bandit allegedly linked to multiple attacks on security personnel in the state.
Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication covering the Lake Chad region, reported that the suspect, identified as Yongu Justine Makwagh of Kadarko in Nasarawa state, was arrested on Friday around 8pm at Balcony Park in Makurdi, the state capital, following months of sustained surveillance.
Makama noted that the divisional police officer (DPO) of Daudu led the operation after acting on credible intelligence, with reinforcement from operatives of the inspector-general of police intelligence response team (IRT) on special duty.
The publication said Makwagh had been on the command’s wanted list over alleged involvement in a series of deadly attacks in the Sankera axis.
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“The suspect was earlier linked to the killing of two Safer Highway Police personnel at Yelwata and two operatives of the Department of Operations (DOPS) in Daudu, during which firearms were carted away,” Makama quoted a source as saying.
The publication added that the arrest was seen as a major breakthrough for the command, which has intensified operations to dismantle bandit networks across Benue and neighbouring states,
It quoted police authorities as saying the suspect is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation, while further investigations are ongoing to recover additional arms and track his accomplices.
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