The Inspector general of Police, Ibrahim Idris has deployed five additional units of mobile police force, helicopters and special intelligence squads to troubled local councils in Benue and River states.

He placed commissioners of Police and Police Personnel in the affected states on red alert, while also ordering 24 hour crime prevention and visibility patrols all over the country.

A statement by Jimoh Moshood, the police spokesman said the measures have been taken by the IGP to nip in the bud and prevent further attacks on innocent Nigerians by suspected herdsmen and other criminal elements in the mentioned states.

To this end, the Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations has been dispatched by the IGP to Benue State to muster, coordinate and supervise the implementation of the new security strategies put in place by the Force to put an immediate end to the senseless killings and violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by suspected herdsmen and other criminal elements in the two states.

“Police Aerial Surveillance Helicopters, Five (5) Units of Police Mobile Force; Police Special Forces have been deployed along with additional conventional Police Personnel, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) and Special Police Joint Intelligence and Investigation Teams to Benue and Rivers State to work with the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Personnel on the ground. This is to bring new impetus to the efforts of the Force to nip in the bud further attacks in the mentioned states,” Moshood said.

According to him, eight suspected herdsmen arrested at the scene of the killings in Guma local council in Benue State are being prosecuted, with six of them remanded in Prison custody.

The other two suspects arrested at a different scene of crime will soon be docked, he said.

“The Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone 4 Makurdi and Zone 6 Calabar have been mandated by the Inspector General of Police to convene Stakeholders meetings in the affected states and also supervise the Police investigation and intelligence teams, and other Police Special Squads deployed by the IGP to the two states.” (NAN)

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