Bloodbath Averted in Benue State as Car laden with Weapons is Impounded By Police

Benue State Police Command averted bloodbath in Okpokwu local government area of the state when it arrested 15 persons and impounded a car laden with weapons allegedly belonging to one of the local government chairmanship aspirants at the rescheduled ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Toyota Corolla car (number withheld), which has been impounded and parked at the Okpokwu Divisional Headquarters,  was said to be conveying some of the suspects to the venue of the congresses at about 9 a.m.when policemen, acting on a tip off, swooped on them.

Okpokwu local government area, the hometown of the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abbas Moro, has, in the last few months, witnessed political tension, leading to the postponement of the PDP ward congresses in the area several times.

The crisis is a fallout of the alleged insistence of a top shot of the party from the area to allow only 600  members from each of the 13 wards in the area to participate in the congresses contrary to the PDP guideline which provides that all card carrying members should exercise their franchise in the process.

When contacted, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer for Benue State, ASP Ejike Alaribe, confirmed that 15 hoodlums were arrested in Okpoga with some exhibits.

“What I can tell you is that some persons were arrested with exhibits but nobody has told me anything about arms and ammunition”, he stressed.

Alaribe added that the arrested suspects had been transferred to the Benue State Police Command Headquarters in Makurdi for  investigations.