The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, disclosed that 53 suspects have been arrested in connection with the recent series of deadly attacks in Benue and Plateau States, including the massacre at Yelewata community, which claimed dozens of lives and displaced hundreds.
Addressing journalists at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Egbetokun detailed the arrests: 26 suspects linked to the Yelewata massacre, 22 apprehended in relation to the Plateau mob killing, and 5 arrested in Makurdi for their involvement in the murder of two truck travelers in the Agan area.
The IGP confirmed that the June 13 attack on Yelewata, Manuka Province, left 47 people dead, 27 injured, and hundreds displaced, describing it as a coordinated terrorist attack.
He stated that following a swift response by tactical police units and intelligence teams, 26 perpetrators were arrested and weapons including two general-purpose machine guns and eight AK-47 rifles were recovered.
“On June 19, we apprehended two prime suspects from their hideout. Their arrest led to the capture of seven more suspects.
Between June 21 and 23, 17 additional suspects were arrested, some directly involved in the killings, including the individual who hosted the planning meeting for the massacre,” Egbetokun explained.
All 26 suspects are currently in custody and have voluntarily confessed to their roles. The police chief confirmed that legal proceedings have been concluded, and the suspects will be arraigned without delay.
These arrests follow President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to the IGP and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to swiftly arrest the perpetrators of the Yelewata massacre.
During a stakeholder meeting at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi, Tinubu had demanded answers from the IGP on the delay in arrests, describing the killings as “heinous.”
In Plateau State, 22 individuals were arrested for their involvement in the June 22 mob attack in Mangu, where nine passengers traveling from Zaria were killed and three injured. Police teams managed to rescue 22 surviving victims.
The IGP also disclosed the June 23 killing of two truck drivers in Makurdi’s Agan area, for which five suspects have been apprehended.
Egbetokun condemned the rising trend of reprisal killings, warning that such acts are “barbaric, senseless, and dangerous.”
He emphasized that the police will not tolerate any attack on communities and vowed that all offenders—planners and executors—will face justice.
