A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday ordered that 11 cattle rearers be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Makurdi, for allegedly terrorising Benue communities.

The cattle rearers were Nanzir Ishaya, Suleiman Umaru, Yakubu Mallam, Dauda Abdulkarim, Manu Buhari, Haruna Abdulkarim, Ibrahim Mallam, Yunusa Waziri, Idi Usman, Adamu Manu and Abdullahi Wakili.

The defendants who live at various addresses in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue were charged with criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, acts of terrorism, open grazing and having cattle suspected to be stolen.

However, the Chief Magistrate, Mr Kelvin Mbanongun, did not take their pleas for want of jurisdiction.

Mbanongun adjourned the matter until July 7, 2025, for further mention.

Earlier, prosecutor Insp. Godwin Ato told the court that on June 1, a team of policemen attached to Operation Zenda at Katsina-Ala received credible information that a group of armed bandits who were allies of the dreaded bandit leader, one Amakaa Akwaza, were sighted in their hideout at Nugu village with arms.

The prosecutor said that on receiving the information, a combined team of Operation Zenda and Benue State Civil Protection Guards, led by Insp. Donald Ahulu were mobilised to the location of the hideout and engaged them in a gun battle.

Ato said the security operatives overpowered the suspected bandits in a fierce gun duel, which resulted in some of the fully armed bandits fleeing, and one AK-47 rifle with breech number 6189 with 16 rounds of live ammunition was recovered from the scene

He said the security operatives then arrested 10 of the suspected bandits while they were loading cattle suspected to be stolen into a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number TTM 405 XA, Taraba, and openly grazing with some of the cows on a nearby farm.

The prosecutor said further investigation led to the arrest of the chief of the Fulani people in Katsina-Ala, Wakili, who he said has been working closely with Akwaza in supplying arms to the herdsmen terrorising Benue and its environs.

The prosecutor said their offences contravened Sections 6(b) and 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004; 19 of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue, 2017; and 321 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004. 

Justice Suleiman Belgore of an Abuja High Court in  Garki, on Wednesday, fixed June 23 for the arraignment of Joseph Eriki and 10 others.

Eriki is the Director of Investigation and Prosecution of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA),

Justice Belgore fixed the date after counsel for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 9th defendants, C.S. Ekeocha and E.E. Apeh, promised to produce the suspects for arraignment.

On May 27, the court had granted a warrant to compel their appearance for arraignment in a charge filed against them by the Federal Government.

The judge issued the warrant following the application made by the prosecution counsel, David Kasuwe.

Kasme had told the court that all efforts made to ensure that the suspects were present in court for their arraignment in the charge marked, FCT/HC/CR/87/2025, failed.

Kaswe informed the court that, in spite of the fact that they were aware of the charge and arraignment, they failed to appear in court.

At the resumed sitting on the case, the defendants were not in court, but their lawyers told the court that they had not been served with the charge.

They therefore prayed the court for an adjournment to enable them to bring them to court.

The Federal Government had filed a six-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, forgery, using as a genuine a forged document, criminal force to deter a public servant from his duty against Eriki and 10 others.

Others charged alongside the FCTA director are Boniface Agwu, Ikechukwu Kanu, Donatec Electrical Company Limited, Super Structure Limited, Weather field Engineering, Marine Service Limited, Asher Information Services Limited, Prince Isaac Omoluwa, Nwaimoneye Augustine Onyisi and Sarajo Aliyu, Ogbole Michael.

They were alleged to have unlawfully entered Plot 461 – 470 and 486-496 belonging to Etha Ventures and put up structures with the intention of defrauding Etha Ventures.

According to the prosecution, to actualise their intent, they fraudulently secured a consent judgment in suit number FCT/HC/CV/240/2018, given the title of Plot 1406 (461-470 and 486-496) Sabon Lugbe East Layout, Abuja, to Super Structures Limited

 …NIS Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap, confirms arrest.

 Obi Obieze, a wanted Enugu State-based native doctor, was arrested at Gbaji checkpoint along Badagry Seme expressway on Wednesday by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

More details have emerged on how the wanted and alleged ritualist and kidnapper was arrested.

Witnesses stated that Obieze, also known as Obu Onyeka, was on a commercial Bajaj motorcycle going to Seme to escape when by the personnel of NIS Lagos State Border Patrol Command at about 2.00 p.m arrested him.

According to the sources, Obieze, a resident of Umuojor village, in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, escaped and took a night bus to Mile 2, Lagos, around 10:00 a.m.

“He took a commercial car from Mile 2 to Badagry roundabout, from where he hired a commercial Okada rider to the Seme border.

“The commercial motorcyclist had passed the checkpoint of the immigration in Gbaji a little before an officer ordered the rider to stop, recognising the person he was carrying.

“Obieze attempted to escape, but he was quickly apprehended by the officers, who took him to the command office immediately.

“He was detained at the NIS cell while the Controller in charge of Lagos State Border Patrol Command contacted headquarters of NIS on the arrest,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller General, NIS, Kemi Nandap, had confirmed his arrest.

Nandap confirmed it in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Akinsola Akinlabi, on Thursday, in Abuja.

According to the statement, the NIS Comptroller General said that the suspect had been declared wanted by the Enugu State Police Command.

She said that Obieze, a native of Umuojor village in Ezeagu Council Area, Enugu, and a known traditionalist, was allegedly involved in the abduction of a 13-year-old girl on Tuesday, May 27.

“According to reports, the girl was kidnapped by three men while walking to the farm with her father.

“She was later rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force from a shrine allegedly linked to the suspect. The incident was first reported by a national daily on Wednesday, May 28.

“Acting on credible intelligence, officers of the NIS Lagos State Border Patrol Command apprehended Obieze at the Gbaji checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme Road while he attempted to flee the country on a motorcycle.

“The suspect was found in possession of a National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) enrollment slip, which confirmed his identity.

“During preliminary questioning, he reportedly confessed to the crimes,” she said.

Nandap, however, said that the NIS was working closely with the Nigeria Police Force to ensure a seamless handover of the suspect for further investigation and prosecution.

She reaffirmed the service commitment to national security and border control, stating that NIS would continue to support law enforcement agencies in the fight against cross-border crimes.