The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has disclosed that no fewer than 53 suspects have been arrested over the recent wave of deadly killings and destruction of property in Benue and Plateau states, the most recent of which claimed dozens of lives and left several others injured or displaced.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, IGP Egbetokun described the June 13th massacre in Yelewata community in Benue State as a “coordinated attack of terror.”

Egbetokun said 26 persons were arrested for the attack in Yelewata, 22 suspects in connection with the Plateau attacks and another five in Benue for a more recent attack.

He stated that 47 persons were killed and 27 injured in the Yelewata attack, adding that two General-Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) and eight AK-47 rifles part of which were used in the attack have been recovered.

The IGP clarified that out of the 28 arrested persons over the Yelweta incident, two have been cleared as they were only used as bait to arrest the 26 suspected masterminds. 

On Sunday, the joint security services in Benue State announced the arrest of suspects linked to the Yelwata attack.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Emenari Ifeanyi, who made the announcement at a press briefing didn’t disclose the identity of the suspects.

The reported arrests followed President Bola Tinubu’s Wednesday order that Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) arrest those behind the dastardly attack.

“Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” Tinubu had charged the IGP during his visit to Benue last Wednesday.

“Christopher (the Chief of Defence Staff), you have given much. I watch your comments, you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. Oloyede and the Air Marshal, we thank all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground, let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out. DG NIA, DG SSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again.”

Gunmen, suspected to be herders, had on the night of Friday June 13 and the morning of Saturday June 14 attacked the Yelwata community in the Guma LGA of the food-producing State, leaving many dead and thousands of others displaced.