The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has disclosed that 53 suspects have been arrested in connection with the recent wave of deadly attacks in Benue and Plateau states that claimed dozens of lives and left several others injured or displaced.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Egbetokun described the June 13 massacre in Yelewata community in Benue State as a “coordinated attack of terror.”

Egbetokun said that 26 were arrested for the attack in Yelewata, 22 suspects in connection with the Plateau attacks and another five in Benue for a more recent attack.

He stated that 47 persons were killed and 27 were injured in the Yelewata attack, adding that two general-purpose machine guns and eight AK-47 rifles used in the attack were recovered.

The joint security services in Benue State had announced the arrest of suspects linked to a recent attack in the Yelwata area of the state where several persons were killed.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Emenari Ifeanyi, announced the arrest at a press briefing on Sunday but didn’t disclose the identity of the suspects.

This followed President Bola Tinubu’s Wednesday order that service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) arrest those behind the dastardly attack.

The police boss said the arrest would not have been possible without Governor Hyacinth Alia’s support.

Emenari also said that the deployment from IGP Kayode Egbetokun had all arrived in Benue and were posted to rural communities to ensure effective policing.

He urged landlords and hotel owners to profile their tenants and clients to avoid the presence of terror in Benue.

“Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” Tinubu had charged the IGP during his visit to Benue last Wednesday.

“Christopher (the Chief of Defence Staff), you have given much. I watch your comments, you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. Oloyede and the Air Marshal, we thank all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground, let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out. DG NIA, DG SSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again.”

Gunmen, suspected to be herders, had last week attacked the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of the food-producing state, leaving over 200 dead and thousands displaced.