The Edo State Police Command has debunked a viral social media report alleging that four armed herdsmen were arrested at a hotel in the Ramat Park area of Benin City.
In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, on the force’s official Facebook page on Sunday, the command clarified that the suspects in question — Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris, and Jamilu Habibu — were not herdsmen but hunters en route from Doguwa in Kano State to Uvbe Community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to the police, the four individuals were intercepted by a member of the Edo Security Network and found in possession of three dane guns, six empty cartridges, three half-filled cartridges, four cutlasses, and two daggers. Officers from the Ikpoba Hill Police Station quickly took over the suspects for further investigation.
Preliminary findings confirmed the suspects’ identity as hunters, not herders, as falsely circulated online.
The statement further disclosed that investigations into their movement and activities are still ongoing.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, CP Monday Agbonika, urged members of the public to desist from spreading unverified information that could lead to unnecessary panic and tension in the state.
