{"id":68193,"date":"2025-06-16T09:45:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=68193"},"modified":"2025-06-16T09:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:45:44","slug":"14-arrested-after-protesters-set-truck-driver-ablaze-in-benue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/06\/16\/14-arrested-after-protesters-set-truck-driver-ablaze-in-benue\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Arrested After Protesters Set Truck, Driver Ablaze in Benue"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Omoniyi David<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects in connection with a violent incident that marred a youth-led protest in Makurdi on Sunday.<\/p>\n

According to the police, the protest, which began peacefully, was hijacked by hoodlums who barricaded a road in Apir, a suburb of Makurdi, forcibly halted a truck, and set it ablaze with the driver trapped inside. The victim has yet to be identified.<\/p>\n

This was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by the Command\u2019s Public Relations Officer, SP Catherine Udeme Edet, who assured that all those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Benue State Police Command acknowledges a public demonstration that took place on Sunday, 15th June 2025, when a group of individuals gathered at Wurukum Roundabout, Makurdi, to express grievances over recent security incidents in the state,\u201d the statement read in part.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the right to peaceful protest is constitutionally protected, it is imperative that such actions remain lawful and non-violent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement added that tactical police teams were swiftly deployed to maintain order.<\/p>\n

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, alongside the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Barr. John Ode, also visited the protest site in a bid to engage demonstrators and appeal for calm.<\/p>\n

However, the situation deteriorated when the crowd refused to be addressed and became hostile.<\/p>\n

The protest was subsequently hijacked by violent elements who attempted to attack the deputy governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficers intervened promptly, using non-lethal crowd control methods, including smoke and water cannons, to disperse the mob and safely evacuate the deputy governor.<\/p>\n

“No casualties or injuries were recorded during the operation,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

Tragically, a separate group of hoodlums believed to be sympathetic to the protest later blocked a roadway in Apir, where they intercepted and set a truck ablaze with its driver still inside.<\/p>\n

The charred remains of the victim were recovered from the scene.<\/p>\n

The police confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects in connection with the incident and pledged to prosecute them accordingly, while investigations continue to identify and apprehend additional perpetrators and instigators.<\/p>\n

Reaffirming its commitment to law and order, the command condemned the violence in strong terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe commend the responsible conduct of peaceful protesters and reiterate our unwavering commitment to maintaining peace and security across the state,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Omoniyi David The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects in connection with a violent incident that marred a youth-led protest in Makurdi on Sunday. According to the police, the protest, which began peacefully, was hijacked by hoodlums who barricaded a road in Apir, a suburb of Makurdi, forcibly halted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":68194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[181],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68195,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68193\/revisions\/68195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}