Police warn cattle rustlers, buyers in Benue

The Police in Benue State on Wednesday warned cattle rustlers and their collaborators to desist from aiding criminality in the state or be ready to face the law. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, in a statement noted that the command would not hesitate to treat anyone involved in the theft, purchase, or concealment […]

The Police in Benue State on Wednesday warned cattle rustlers and their collaborators to desist from aiding criminality in the state or be ready to face the law.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, in a statement noted that the command would not hesitate to treat anyone involved in the theft, purchase, or concealment of stolen livestock as a bandit and to be prosecuted accordingly.

She said that intelligence findings have linked cattle rustling and the illicit trade in stolen livestock to recurring cycles of violence and reprisal attacks in parts of the state, stressing that decisive action would be taken against offenders.

Edet added that the command remains resolute in its counter-banditry operations, particularly in troubled local government areas such as Apa, Logo, Katsina-Ala, Ukum, Gwer East and Guma.

The PPRO in the statement assured that tactical teams have been deployed to flashpoints and hinterlands, with sustained clearance operations targeting criminal hideouts.