BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

NOT too long ago, on assumption of office in Makurdi, the new Commissioner of Police in charge of Benue State, Mr. Emmanuel Obiako read a riot act to criminals and those perpetuating violence and all forms of criminality in the state to stay off the State or meet their waterloo.

The Police boss had lamented the crime wave in the state and warned that he was taking the fight to those tormenting the people.  He also warned that those engaged in mobilizing youths of the state to create disorder in Makurdi and its environs would not be spared but made to face prosecution.

He further warned that the command’s responsibility of maintaining peace in the state would not be jettisoned for whatever reason, adding that an individual’s social status would not be a determining factor in enforcing the law even if a suspect is highly placed.

In the stern message, the Commissioner of Police emphasized that his search light would be beamed on hired assassins and all those involved in cult activities in the state.   He vowed to apprehend the sponsors of cult-related activities in the state and other social vices irrespective of class.

And few days after issuing this warning, the Command recorded a major breakthrough by arresting suspected killers of a popular middle-aged man in Aliade Local Government Area of the State.  Among those apprehended by the Police in Makurdi were a lawmaker and councillor, Mr. Thomas Atti, Okoye Eze and Basil Isah who alongside seven others allegedly murdered the man in a cult related killing.

Parading the suspects in Makurdi, Obiako disclosed that they were also on the trail of a Police Constable suspected to be one of the leaders of the cult group.    “The Police Constable is on the run, but he cannot run forever because we will definitely catch up with him”, Mr. Obiako said.

Speaking to Crime Guard on his culpability, the lawmaker denied belonging to the cult group nor having a hand in the gruesome murder of the young man in Aliade.   He claimed he is a responsible citizen who has no dealing with crime or any act of criminality.   “I am an honourable. I don’t know these people, I am not a cultist and I don’t have anything to do with the murder of the man.”

While Okoye Eze who claimed he deals in the wholesale of beer revealed that the other suspects occasionally converged at his bar to drink beer, he however, stated that he did not know that they were cultists.   One of the suspects, Basil Isah told Crime Guard that they were all friends but denied they were a cult group.

Meanwhile, CP Obiako disclosed that he personally intervened in the matter to ensure that the suspects were rounded up at Aliade town, some 60 kilometers from Makurdi, the state capital, assuring that the Command would fish out all those found to have perpetrated the gruesome murder of the deceased irrespective of their social standing.

“All those who are fanning the embers of cultism in Benue state should have  cause to worry because I’ll get and expose them to the world.  Our search light would also be beamed on those financing cultism in the state with a view to bringing them to justice.

There will be no hiding place for those encouraging cultism in the state, because we will not allow any double faced individual who pretends to be law abiding or highly placed but hide under the cover of the night to perpetrate evil, we will fish them out very soon”, he said.

The Commissioner also used the opportunity to sternly warn politicians whose cases are pending at the Election Tribunals in the state to refrain from making inflammatory comments that could jeopardize the existing peace in the State.

He also challenged criminals in the State to have a change of attitude, maintaining that the police would spare nobody caught engaging in any criminal acts.

“I have deployed my men to all nooks and crannies of the State. They would be at night clubs too. Do not be surprised to see me and my deputy monitoring security in the state. People should be free to go about at any time assured of their security”, Mr. Obiako restated.