Ardo Risku: Our children did not kill Fulani herdsmen leader – Suspects’ parents cry out
Families of Arrested Young Men Demand Release Amid Murder Investigation
Families of several young men apprehended in connection with the murder of Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), are calling for their immediate release. The families insist that the detained individuals are innocent and had no involvement in the crime.
According to relatives, the arrests occurred during a police operation at a food establishment in Otukpo, which is located significantly far from Okwudu community, the site of Mohammed’s killing.
One mother, speaking through activist Meddy Olotu, stated that her 21-year-old son, Huseni, had simply gone for a meal after a day of farm work when police conducted the raid.
“My son had just returned from work and went to eat. Suddenly, the police arrived and arrested everyone present,” she reported. She emphasized that her son is an unarmed farm laborer with no connection to the murder.
Huseni’s father, Mr. Huseni Adama, corroborated his wife’s account, noting that his son and another young man were taken into custody while eating near the Total Filling Station after work. “He is still very young. They took them to Makurdi. Since his arrest, I can hardly eat. All his siblings are crying. My son is innocent,” he said.
Another mother expressed her concerns regarding her son, Adakole John, who was also arrested during the police operation. She clarified that Adakole was eating at the food joint when he was detained and had not even traveled to Okwudu.
Adakole’s father, a security guard, echoed her sentiment, describing his son as the family’s primary provider and pleading for support from local authorities. “I am begging the Idoma people and the authorities to help us. My son is innocent,” he stated.
The family of 18-year-old Owiocho, a photographer, reported that he had been arrested during the same police raid despite his lack of involvement in the case. They maintained that he was at the food joint after work when the arrests took place.
The families of the detained individuals are urging law enforcement to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, emphasizing that only those directly involved in Mohammed’s murder should face charges. They implore authorities to release anyone found to be uninvolved, asserting that innocent citizens should not suffer for crimes they did not commit.
As of the publication of this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not released any updates regarding the investigation or the status of the suspects in custody.