Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Benue Command, on Monday, paraded nine suspected criminals arrested in the state.
NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr. Philip Okoh, told journalists that the suspects were arrested for allegedly vandalising rail lines, engaging in kidnapping as well as diversion and adulteration of petroleum products.
He said that three of the suspects were arrested on Feb. 10 at Howe in Gwer-East Local Government Area of the state while vandalising rail lines.
“A blue-coloured 22-tyre truck, with registration number: KSF 752 XM, carrying large number of rail tracks was recovered from them,” he said.
The commandant added two trucks, with large number of rail tracks and two yellow-coloured tricycles, with more than 45 short length tracks, were also recovered from the suspects.
He said that three suspects, who were arrested on Feb. 12 at Vandeikya Local Government Area of the state with 33,000 litres of adulterated petroleum products, were also arrested.
“The blue oil was loaded in Port-Harcourt and the destination was supposed to be Yola, but the suspects were diverting it to Kano at the time of arrest,’’ he said.
Okoh said three suspects were also nabbed at various locations and time in the state for alleged kidnapping.
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He stated that a bus carrying 18 passengers coming from Artisan Market in Enugu on Dec. 12, 2021 was abducted near Federal University, Wukari in Taraba and taken to Ukum in Benue.
The commandant further said that a sum of N550,000 was reportedly paid into the UBA account of one of the suspects on different dates in December 2021 as ransom.
In an interview, the suspect, however, claimed innocence, saying that he was a POS operator whose account was used by the kidnappers to collect their ransom.
Crying uncontrollably, the suspect said he had been in the POS business for the past five years and had been helping people in the village in Ukum collect money from their children in urban centres, as most of them did not have bank accounts.
He said that one of the suspects came to him, saying that his in-law wanted to send money to him to buy rice and that he availed him the use of his account number, only for him to be arrested for involving in kidnapping.
The commandant, however, advised POS operators to be wary of those they would be offering help to, especially when it involved huge sums of money. (NAN)
