The Edo State Police Command has confirmed that the four men apprehended with weapons in the state were hunters from Kano State, not armed herders, as had been claimed on social media.
According to a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Moses Joel Yamu, on Saturday night, the four individuals — Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris, and Jamilu Habibu — were apprehended by Edo Security Network operatives and turned over to police officers at Ikpoba Hill Division.
According to Yamu, items collected from the suspects included three Dane guns, six empty cartridges, three half-filled cartridges, four cutlasses, and two daggers.
He stated that contrary to rumours circulating online that armed herders were detained at a hotel in the state, investigations showed that the accused were hunters who had gone from Doguwa in Kano State to Uvbe town in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
The statement read, “The Edo State Police Command is aware of misinformation on social media that four herdsmen armed with guns were arrested at Americanus Hotel on Osemwenkhae Street after Big Joe Motors, Ramat Park, Orogbeni Quarters and handed over to the police.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that they are hunters, not herdsmen. They were from Doguwa in Kano State, heading to the Uvbe community in Orhionwon Local Government Area of Edo State. Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information that could cause unnecessary panic and tension.
