Police arrest 300 suspected criminals in Benue

The Police in Benue State said on Monday that more than 300 suspected criminals had been arrested in the last three months in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adams Audu, said the arrests were made between June and August, three months of his assumption of duty.
Audu told newsmen in Makurdi, the state capital, that the arrests were efforts made by the police to secure the lives and property of the residents.
He said that the arrests comprised cases of cultism, armed robbery and a suspected case of an improvised explosive device.
Audu commended the existing cordial relationship between the police and other security agencies in the state and attributed the feat to the synergy.
The commissioner also commended members of vigilance groups and community leaders for supporting the police in arresting the suspected criminals.
He added: “We are doing this with the help of the vigilance groups, who are members of the community.
“In fact, there has been a common effort and understanding in the fight against criminal activities in the state between the police and members of the community.”
Audu also said the command was utilising the police community relations committee to generate ideas for a common front against criminality in the state.
He commended security personnel in the state for clamping down on cultism, saying that the continued peace in the state is a deliberate policy of the police.
He said that the police would continue to work hard to ensure that lives and property were secured to make the state a safe haven for all.
Audu, however, called on the people to continue to be vigilant and report all suspected activities to the police.
The commissioner said the suspects had been charged to court for the various offences.
He also confirmed the arrests of suspected criminals “with electric wires suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Devise.”
According to him, the case has been transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.