By George Okoh
The Benue State Police Command has uncovered shallow mass graves in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of the state.
The graves were discovered after the police operatives arrested two notorious suspects, Aondoaseer Terseer (alias Bob Tsetse) and Orkashima David (alias Cash money), who led them to the graves where they buried their victims, including their wives.
The suspects were arrested in Osun State after they both fled following the killings, kidnapping and armed robbery activities carried out in Mbamon, Tavachan, Michiche council ward of Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue State in less than three years.
The two suspects, both members of a 10-man criminal syndicate, took the policemen around the shallow graves, including dry and abandoned wells, where they kept their dead victims to conceal their heinous acts.
Among the six decomposing bodies uncovered so far were three males and three females, including their wives and those of the men killed between January and April of 2021.
The bodies of decomposing victims recovered from the dry wells are Hon John Nyitamen, Madam Catherine Akiishi and Aondoverb Fidelix, with another and two of the suspects’ wives found in shallow graves.
Both suspects confessed to have killed their wives, one of them, Terseer, said his wife died following misunderstanding between them after a wood he threw at her pieced her neck mistakenly.
The other suspect, David, revealed that his wife’s death was instigated by his father after he alleged that his wife was trying to burn his house by calling security agents.
According to him, through the help of his two other gang members, they killed her and buried her in a shallow grave.
CSP Justin Gberindyer, who confirmed the arrest of one of the accomplices, stated that effort was ongoing to arrest the other and the suspect’s father, who allegedly instigated the crime.
The suspects further gave six names of their gang members as Umangu Ihuman, alias Aka; Agwe, alias Banga; Aondover Ihom, alias D’ver; Luper, and Yaryon alias Snake, saying however that four of them had been killed.
The suspects also claimed to be working for one Azonto, a militia leader, who was the late Gana’s second-in-command responsible for several kidnappings and killings of innocent people and security agents in Sankera axis of the state.
The Deputy Chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, Mr. Agba Thomas, who witnessed the graves, said justice would now be served for the two notorious criminals, “who have made life unbearable and farming activities impossible for the people of the area.”
Agba said their arrest would bring succour to the families who have long searched for the remains of their loved ones.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident, saying the two suspects are in their custody and will be prosecuted according to law pending the outcome of the investigation.
Anene said the state Commissioner of Police, Audu Madaki, had vowed that all criminals, who pose threat to lives and property in the state would be fished out and prosecuted.
