MAKURDI – The Benue State Police Command have warned that no campaign of calumny would stop it from tracking down and arresting the murderers of Chief Sunday Okpe, who was recently murdered in his home in Amla-Icho community of Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The Area Commander, Otukpo Area Command, David Ogenyi who gave the warning also vowed that the command would leave no stone unturned to arrest perpetrators of the act who were currently on the run.

Ogenyi who was reacting to a statement by a group, Otukpo Youth and Patriotic Forum (OYPF), who alleged that over 20 youth with the backing of the command had besieged Efeyi Ipole community last weekend at about 1am with the intention of apprehending suspected murderers of Chief Okpe.

While he described the group as faceless and signatories of the statement, as fake, he challenged the authors of the statement to come out in the open if they were were not guilty of the offense.

The Area Commander who noted that the suspects have been coming up with one allegation after another, including an allegation that the issue was tied to a chieftaincy title, stated that their inconsistency in the matter is an indication that their aim was to distract the police from its duty.

While he described the allegations as most unfortunate, Ogenyi stated that he had at his disposable enough men to prosecute the arrest of suspects and would not descend so low to use civilians or youths to effect the arrest of suspects.

According to him, “This is most unfortunate and it must have to stop. I have policemen in the office, how could I have sent civilian/youths to go and invade a village for any reason in the world?

“All campaign of calumny is merely, malicious, wicked and a diversionary technique intended to arm twist the Command from executing his mandate.

“This is a plot by the group to get the police off their backs. They know that they are guilty and they are doing everything possible to distract us from arresting them. The entire scenario is a conspiracy stage-managed to score cheap goals and I think this must have to stop.

“And unfortunately the names Ejelikwu Adakole, President and James Iduh, Secretary are pseudo names used to hide their identity and evade justice but surely there is an end and the day of judgement will surely come.

“I want the faceless cowards to show up, use their actual names and let go of the non existent OYPF”, Ogenyi challenged authors of the statement.

Meanwhile, OYPF has said it was worried by the unwholesome activities of some youths who invaded Efeyi Ipole, community in Ugboju, Otukpo LGA of the state last weekend.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the President and Secretary, OYPF, Ejelikwu Adakole and James Iduh, respectively and made available to newsmen in Makurdi weekend.

The group said, “We are deeply worried about the unwholesome tendencies of some youths who made a deadly voyage into Efeyi Ipole, a peaceful community in Ugboju in Otukpo LGA of Benue state at the wee hours of Friday, June 21, 2024.

“The youths who were over 20 and heavily armed with dangerous weapons and alleged to have the backing of the Area Commander in Otukpo, David Ogenyi, were said to had arrived Efeyi Ipole about 01:00 am with the intention of apprehending some persons suspected to be the killers of Chief Sunday Okpe in Amla-Icho, also in Otukpo Local Government Area recently.

“Luck however ran out of them as the vigilant youths of Efeyi Ipole called their bluff and demanded to know why they chose to invade their community at such unholy hours of the night with dangerous weapons.

“About 18 of them were arrested by the Efeyi Ipole youths while those with dangerous weapons escaped”, the statement read.

OYPF, however said the arrested youth have been handed over to the police.