By EMMANUEL ANTSWEN

An Upper Area Court on Friday granted an application filled by the Nigerian Army to detain four suspected bandits and kidnappers for 14 days.

The Benue Government prayed the court to grant fourteen days to the “Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS)”, a military operation outfit to detain the suspects for investigation.

The Judge, Mrs Rose Iyorshe, granted the motion.

Earlier, Mr Peter Agbese, Director, Civil Litigation, Benue Ministry of Justice, on behalf of the Attorney-General of Benue, in the motions dated March 25, alleged that Bala Asabe and Habila Kefas were arrested sometime in January in Taraba, while Arua Sarduna and Mohammed Auta were arrested on March 18 in Umaisha Village, Toto LG of Nasarawa State.

He said that the suspects were already in the custody of the OPWS headquarters, at the Tactical Air Force Command, headquarters, Makurdi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) rep[orts that the OPWS, was launched in May 2018 by the Federal Government, with a mandate to end the herders/farmers crisis, covers Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states with headquarters in Benue.

NAN further reports that the troops were also tasked to flush out all armed militia gangs terrorising parts of Benue and Taraba. (NAN)

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