The Kogi State Police Command has arrested one suspect following another attack on the family home of the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The suspect, identified as Jose Suberu, was reportedly apprehended at the scene of the attack in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area, on Tuesday.

Confirming the development to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the suspect had confessed to being part of the attack.

“Yes it’s true and one suspect, Joe Suberu was arrested at the scene. Efforts are on to arrest the fleeing others,” Aya said.

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In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Media Office, it was revealed that the armed men vandalised several windows.

“However, with the swift intervention of officers from the local police station, community vigilantes, and concerned youths, the attackers were repelled and one suspect was apprehended,” the statement read.

The media office further alleged that Suberu, a native of the community and described as a ritualist, confessed that this was his third time participating in attacks on the senator’s family residence.

He was reportedly linked to political opponents of the lawmaker.

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A mob reportedly attempted to lynch the suspect before he was rescued and handed over to the police.

A cutlass and charms were recovered from him.

“A cutlass and charms were recovered from him. Other suspects involved in the attack, reportedly armed with dangerous weapons, remained at large at press time,” the statement added.

Recall that a similar attack occurred at the family compound in April, but no arrests were made at the time.

The Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, has told President Bola Tinubu that the killings in Benue State are not clashes between herders and farmers, but a planned attack aimed at taking over land.

Speaking at a meeting with Tinubu and stakeholders in Benue on Wednesday, the traditional ruler said many people had misunderstood the crisis and wrongly advised Benue citizens to stay calm and live peacefully with their neighbours.

Ayatse said, “We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State.

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“Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.”

He described the violence as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign” by herder terrorists and bandits that has lasted for decades.

He added, “Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment… We are dealing with something far more sinister than we think. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with a war.”

The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, has said that President Bola Tinubu has the capacity to restore permanent peace in Nigeria and Benue in particular.

Ayatse stated this on Wednesday in Makurdi at a town hall meeting with Tinubu following the recent killing of more than 200 persons in an attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue.

The traditional ruler and Chairman of Benue Traditional Council said his people had made a lot of sacrifices to keep Nigeria united and wondered why they were being isolated for extermination.

He said, “Many of our people died during the Civil War; we paid the supreme price to keep this country united.

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“There is genocide going on in our land. It is not clash, but a well-orchestrated, well-coordinated attack aimed at wiping out our people.

“We know you are a courageous leader. You are a focused leader. You are a determined leader. You have the courage and the political will to end this menace.

‘You have taken hard decisions and actions that many people before you did not dare.

“You have handled the subsidy removal challenge of this country. The exchange rate investment decisions, you have taken them.

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“I believe you can give us peace. All we ask of you is peace.”

The paramount ruler said the people, who were largely farmers, needed peace so that they would continue farming.

He, however, expressed concerns that the farmers had been chased away from their farms by the bloodthirsty invaders.

The Tor Tiv told the President that Tiv people in Nasarawa State were suffering the same fate, as they too had been chased away from their ancestral homes in some LGAs.

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According to Ayatse, Tiv people’s lands have been taken from them, and they have been labelled as settlers.

“They have been in Nasarawa State before the 18th century. They cannot be settlers. They need to go back to their ancestral homes to continue with their lives,” he said.

Ayatse lauded Tinubu for coming personally to identify with Benue people in their moment of grief.

He assured the president that the people of Benue who supported him in 2023 would continue to stand with him.

NAN