A total of 17 suspects are in police custody in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria following a mob attack that left a Divisional Police Officer hacked with machetes and a senior officer fighting for his life on life support.
The violence erupted in Kwande Local Government Area after a traffic collision, where an emergency attempt by off-duty officers to rush a struck child to the hospital was met with violent vigilante retaliation.
The 17 suspects now at the Police Command Headquarters in Makurdi are accused of launching a bloody assault on law enforcement officers who were attempting to perform a lifesaving rescue.
The incident occurred on August 30 along the Jato-Aka-Adikpo Road in Kwande LGA of the State.
A transit vehicle carrying off-duty police personnel struck a young boy.
Rather than fleeing, the officers loaded the injured child into their vehicle to rush him for medical care but an armed mob immediately ambushed the vehicle.
Responding to distress calls, local leadership, including the DPO of Jato-Aka attempted a rescue at a nearby station.
The crowd besieged the facility with machetes and other weapons. The aftermath was severe with the DPO and the other officer hacked repeatedly.
The officer remains in critical condition on life support and was transferred on oxygen for specialised emergency care.
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Addressing journalists, the Police Commissioner, CP Nwadiogbu issued a stark warning against jungle justice.
He also speaks on a major tactical breakthrough in Ohimini Local Government Area. The Command reportedly rescued eight abducted travellers, while one victim reportedly died from a gunshot wound sustained during the abduction.
Nwadiogbu said the victims were travelling from Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, South-East Nigeria to Abuja on Sunday, September 13, 2026 when suspected bandits intercepted their vehicle at about midnight and forced the passengers into the bush.
Police say investigations into both the Kwande mob attack and the fleeing members of the Ohimini kidnap syndicate remain ongoing.
Residents are urged to share timely information with security forces via local hotline numbers.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
