The Benue State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old suspect in connection with the killing of a university professor and his younger brother in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Police identified the suspect as Abdullahi Usman, a native of Awe Local Government Area in neighbouring Nasarawa State. According to the command, he was apprehended following investigations into the fatal attack, while efforts are ongoing to track down other suspects believed to have been involved.
The victims, Professor Gabriel Saawua Nyityo, a 58-year-old lecturer in the Department of History at Benue State University, and his 19-year-old younger brother, Iorngee John Nyityo, were reportedly attacked and killed at their residence in the Adaka area of Makurdi during the early hours of Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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Police said officers attached to the ‘D’ Division responded to a distress call from the community, where they discovered the bodies of the two victims. The command confirmed that an investigation is underway to establish the motive behind the killings and identify every person connected to the crime.
The deaths have sparked grief across the Adaka community and Benue State University, where Professor Nyityo was a respected academic. The incident occurred despite the ongoing strike by lecturers at the institution.
Authorities have assured residents that investigations are progressing and pledged to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.
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