By John Attah
A young girl has died following alleged severe physical abuse involving the insertion of pepper into her private parts over an alleged N14,500 dispute in Benue State, with police arresting a suspect, Hemen Wuese, in connection with the incident.
The Benue State Police Command said another girl who allegedly suffered similar abuse had been rescued and was in stable condition.
Commissioner of Police, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this during a press briefing, saying the incident occurred in Injorov Village, Turan, Kwande Local Government Area.
According to him, the report was received at Jato-Aka Police Division, prompting an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect.
“One of the children died, while the other survived. Police operatives commenced an investigation and arrested a suspect identified as Hemen Wuese,” Nwadiogbu said.
He added that the body of the deceased had been deposited for autopsy, while the surviving child was receiving attention.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident,” the commissioner stated.
In a related development, the command arrested three suspects over an alleged cult-related attack on a man along Maiduguri Street, Wadata, Makurdi, who later died.
Nwadiogbu said the victim was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Apir, where he eventually died, adding that investigations were ongoing to establish the individual roles of the suspects.
Meanwhile, the police announced the rescue of 29 kidnapped victims in separate operations across the state.
Among them were four passengers abducted after gunmen attacked a commercial vehicle along the Uzer Village axis of the Ayilamo-Tse-Abi Road in Logo Local Government Area. The driver was reportedly killed during the attack.
The commissioner said police personnel, working with Operation Whirl Stroke, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards and local hunters, launched a search-and-rescue operation that secured the release of the four passengers.
In another operation, 17 farmers abducted from Tse-Acha and Tse-Wuam communities in Bamun Village, Tombo District, Logo LGA, were rescued.
Nwadiogbu described the operation as part of efforts to protect rural communities and enable residents to carry out their lawful activities without fear of attacks.
The command also rescued eight kidnapped victims, including a Reverend Father and other persons returning from the market, along the Ugbokolo-Ajegbe-Awume Road in Ohimini Local Government Area.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.
The commissioner said security operatives initially rescued two victims before subsequently securing the release of six others through sustained operations involving police personnel, the Police Mobile Force and the state Civil Protection Guards.
The rescued victims were taken to the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo, for medical examination and necessary attention.
Nwadiogbu reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating violent crimes, kidnapping and other security threats through intelligence gathering, timely intervention and collaboration with other security agencies.
He said suspects would be brought before the law where investigations establish evidence of culpability.
