‘Anini’ Arrested! Police Dismantle Reign Of Terror In Benue

Youths from the Yaikyo area in Makurdi, Benue State capital, have apprehended a notorious criminal known as Anini at a supermarket located within the city.

The suspect was apprehended on the evening of Thursday, June 26, 2025, amid a torrential downpour at Agbatse Supermarket, located behind Jesical Filling Station in the Yaikyo area of Makurdi.

The arrest was reportedly executed by the Yaikyo community’s local security outfit, led by youth leader Frank Igbakua.

After his capture, the suspect was handed over to Operation Zenda, a specialized unit of the Nigeria Police Force, for further interrogation and legal action.

Local residents have lauded the swift and brave intervention of the youths, hailing it as a major step forward in the fight against crime in Makurdi and neighboring communities.

In a related development, the Nigerian Army has refuted allegations that it ignored prior intelligence about the June 13, 2025, attacks in Benue State.

Responding to media reports that cited an allegedly leaked memo from the Department of State Services (DSS), Major General Moses Gara, Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), dismissed the claims as baseless, misleading, and a cyber smear campaign aimed at undermining the military’s integrity.

The DSS memo, dated May 13, reportedly warned of imminent attacks by suspected Fulani militias on Tiv communities in Awe LGA of Nasarawa State and various locations in Benue, allegedly in retaliation for the seizure of cattle by the state government.

The document listed several high-risk areas, including Mararaba, Gidan Antonny, Vandekiya, Gwer West, and Makurdi, claiming that armed militias had held strategic meetings and deployed fighters in forests near Doma and Keana LGAs in Nasarawa.

Despite the detailed intelligence outlined in the leaked memo, Major General Gara categorically denied receiving any such warning.