Edo State Police Command has set the record straight regarding the recent arrest of four individuals found in possession of firearms, clarifying that the suspects are hunters from Kano State—not armed herdsmen, as rumors on social media had suggested.

In an official release issued late Saturday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Moses Joel Yamu, the four individuals—Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris, and Jamilu Habibu—were apprehended by members of the Edo Security Network before being handed over to the police at the Ikpoba Hill Division.

According to Yamu, the items seized from the suspects included three Dane guns, a total of nine cartridges (six empty and three half-loaded), four cutlasses, and two daggers.

The police investigation, Yamu added, confirmed that the group were traditional hunters who had travelled from Doguwa in Kano State to the Uvbe area within Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo.

The police also addressed online reports claiming the men were herdsmen arrested at a hotel in Benin City.

“The Edo State Police Command is aware of misinformation on social media that four herdsmen armed with guns were arrested at Americanus Hotel on Osemwenkhae Street after Big Joe Motors, Ramat Park, Orogbeni Quarters and handed over to the police.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that they are hunters, not herdsmen. They were from Doguwa in Kano State, heading to the Uvbe community in Orhionwon Local Government Area of Edo State. Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing,” the statement read.

Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, cautioned residents against circulating unfounded stories, urging the public to always verify facts before sharing.

He emphasized the importance of responsible information sharing to avoid causing unnecessary alarm within communities.

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In a major breakthrough, soldiers attached to Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have disrupted efforts by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to set up strongholds in parts of Plateau and Bauchi states.

A press statement issued on Sunday by OPSH’s media officer, Major Samson Zhakom, revealed that two individuals suspected to be affiliated with ISWAP were taken into custody during a covert raid on April 11.

The operation occurred in Yelwa, within the Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The arrested suspects—Abdulkadir Dalhatu and Ubaidu Hassan, both aged 25—were allegedly posing as tailors while secretly working to create a foothold for ISWAP in the region.

Preliminary findings indicate the pair were dispatched by a senior ISWAP leader to initiate sleeper cells across Plateau and Bauchi.

In a separate offensive, troops under Sector 4 OPSH targeted a hideout in Mazat village, located in the Barkin Ladi LGA, believed to belong to a notorious fugitive.

Although the suspect managed to flee before their arrival, security forces recovered an AK-47 rifle, a loaded magazine, and other equipment concealed inside the structure.

Meanwhile, a coordinated ambush by Sector 2 troops based on actionable intelligence led to a deadly encounter with bandits operating along the Pinau-Bangalala axis in Wase LGA.

One of the criminals was killed, while others escaped, possibly with injuries.

However, the security landscape in Plateau was further darkened by a brutal assault on the Zogu community in Miango District, Bassa LGA.

In the early hours of Saturday, assailants stormed the village, killing a man and his two sons.

The Irigwe Development Association identified the victims as 56-year-old Weyi Gebeh and his sons Zhu (25) and Henry (16). Reacting to the incident, IDA representative Jugo expressed deep concern over the recurring violence.

Jugo stated, “The way criminal elements invade our motherland and kill with impunity seems to suggest a more sinister motive than mere reprisal for alleged wrongs. IDA therefore calls on the Plateau State government and the security to do the needful and stop the killing of innocent people in Irigwe land.”

These developments underscore both the persistence of terror-linked threats and the ongoing efforts of security agencies to dismantle them across Nigeria’s central belt.

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