53 Suspects Arrested Over Benue, Plateau Massacres – IGP Confirms

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has announced the arrest of 53 suspects in connection with the recent deadly attacks on communities in Benue and Plateau states, which left dozens dead and several others injured and displaced.

Addressing journalists at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, the IGP revealed that 26 suspects were apprehended in relation to the Yelewata attack in Benue, 22 others in connection with the Plateau incident, and an additional five suspects arrested elsewhere in Benue State.

The arrest comes just days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly demanded swift action and accountability during his visit to Makurdi. The President had questioned the lack of arrests following the massacre and directed the IGP and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, to ensure immediate prosecution of the perpetrators.

“How come no one has been arrested for committing this heinous crime in Yelewata? The criminals must be arrested immediately,” Tinubu had stated during a stakeholder meeting.

Egbetokun said the Yelewata massacre occurred on June 13, when two armed militias launched a coordinated and brutal assault on the community, killing 47 people, injuring 27, and displacing hundreds. Several homes and properties were also destroyed.

The IGP said that police, alongside other security agencies, responded with the deployment of tactical units and special forces to restore order, while a manhunt for the attackers was immediately launched.

Detailing the breakthrough, Egbetokun said:

On June 19, two masterminds of the Yelewata attack were arrested.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of seven additional suspects the next day.

On June 21, a suspect who hosted the planning meeting was also apprehended.

On June 22, 18 more suspects directly involved in the killings were captured.

On June 23, detectives recovered two general-purpose machine guns and eight AK-47 rifles used during the attack.

“All 26 suspects linked to the Yelewata massacre are currently in custody and have confessed,” the IGP said, adding that legal proceedings have been concluded, and arraignment would begin without delay.

He assured Nigerians that the police would continue to pursue and prosecute all individuals involved in communal violence, warning:

“We will go after anyone — planner or executor — who attacks any community in Nigeria.”

President Tinubu had also tasked the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to enhance intelligence gathering to prevent future attacks and ensure justice is served.