Nigerian Police Accused Of Releasing Arrested Robbery Suspect Back To Benue Communities After Victims Lost N3million

The Nigerian police are reportedly complicit in the release of a robbery suspect, who belonged to a gang terrorising some parts of Benue State. 

SaharaReporters learnt that four men, one woman, and two children travelling from Kaduna to Makurdi fell victim to an attack by the robbers on the Lafia-Makurdi highway.

The assailants, dressed in military camouflage, had set up a checkpoint with a wooden plank near Tse Pevkyaa, close to Gban Udei in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

This came after the victims had already passed through two other checkpoints at Kadoroko.

The robbers, however, raided the vehicle, stealing gadgets, personal belongings, and cash, amounting to over N3million.

Despite efforts to track down the criminals, none of the stolen property was recovered.

One of the victims told SaharaReporters that on September 24, he was on holiday, so he travelled to Makurdi again.

He said that on October 6, 2024, he travelled home to Udei. He arrived late and went straight to the Whirl Stroke office in Udei, where he informed them of his intentions.

The victim mentioned that he had gathered information about one of the robbers that he was drinking in one of the shops at the market square in Udei.

“We were able to arrest him. His name is Godwin Terna Terwase, popularly known as Iyav (stomach). The Whirl Stroke team searched his house and discovered he was in possession of three live ammunition rounds and four ATM cards bearing different names.
“He confessed to the crime and also provided the names of all his gangs involved in the robbery, including the one with the rifle.” 
 

However, the suspect was taken to the Daudu Police Station on October 7, 2024, where both the victims and the suspect wrote statements.
Meanwhile, in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the suspect confessed to the crime.
The victim stated that the Whirl Stroke team took the suspect to the Whirl Stroke HQ at 72 Barracks.
He was later handed over to the Garrison at 72 Barracks, where the victim also wrote a statement, where he also confessed to the crime.
However, the Garrison later transferred the suspect to the State CID at the Police Headquarters in Makurdi.
The victim told SaharaReporters that the next thing he knew was that the suspect had been released and sent back to the Udei community to continue his activities.

“One of the robbers, Ukohol (Udoor), the one who was wearing military camouflage and holding the AK-47 rifle that night, I heard, is currently in police custody at the Daudu Police Station. I am sure he will be released soon.

“My properties and those of my colleagues, worth over N3million, were not recovered. All my resources and time put into arresting this criminal were in vain. We did not get justice,” he said.

The victims insisted that the police, who were involved in the investigation, released the suspects, rendering their search and all efforts to seek justice futile.

One of the victims told SaharaReporters on Monday that they had reported the incident at the Daudu 2 Police Station, C-Division Police Station, North Bank, and the Police State Headquarters in Makurdi.

“I also went to report the incident in my village town, Udei, where those criminals came from to rob us. My late uncle, the chief, directed us to the Whirl Stroke Forward Operation Base in the Udei community, and I did all that.” 

He said that the Whirl Stroke team tried their best at that time, and the armed robbers fled the community.

According to the victim, a Naval Lieutenant was in charge at the time before he left for a course.

“So, around the Easter period, I came back to Makurdi again and ran into one of the robbers in north/bank beside 72 barracks road in front of cattle market in person of Joshua Hulezam, aka Daddy.” 

He told SaharaReporters that the suspect’s elder brother was the traditional ruler of the Udei community.

“He was wearing one of the clothes he stole from me on the day of the incident, but he escaped with the help of some other guys because I was alone.

“So I was able to get his phone number. I called him and asked him for negotiation, and he responded that he was not around. I took the phone number to the Police State Headquarters in Makurdi for tracking, and I was directed to the office that handles tracking in the HQ.” 

The victim told SaharaReporters that a Tiv man, Inspector Moses, who was supposed to do the tracking for him, initially charged him N35,000 but later agreed on N30,000, which he paid in full.

“He did the tracking, and the result came out. I was asked to open a case file and also pay for mobilisation fees, which I did, and also paid money for the case file.” 

He explained that when he came back to Kaduna, the police officer stopped picking his calls.
He told SaharaReporters that when the police officer stopped picking his calls, he paid money to another policeman, popularly known as “Sharp Sharp,” in the police barracks in Kawo, Kaduna State, to help track his phone.

However, he said up until now, nothing has been heard. 
 

‎Follow the Sahara Reporters channel on WhatsApp: