Troops of Sector 6 under Operation Enduring Peace have arrested 19 suspects in Tongoron, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, as security forces intensify efforts to identify those responsible for a recent deadly ambush on security operatives.
The arrests were made on Tuesday during a clearance operation in the community, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama, who cited intelligence sources familiar with the operation.
According to the report, the operation was conducted at about 1:30 p.m. following the ambush on a joint security patrol along the Ganawuri-Sabon Gida Road.
The report said troops raided Tongoron, where they arrested 19 suspects for profiling and further investigation.
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The suspects comprise 14 indigenes of the community and five Fulani residents, according to the intelligence sources.
Military authorities were quoted as saying that the suspects were undergoing profiling to determine whether they have any links to the ambush or other criminal activities in the area.
The operation, the report added, forms part of ongoing clearance and cordon-and-search operations aimed at identifying those responsible for the attack, recovering stolen weapons and preventing further security breaches in Riyom Local Government Area.
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claims as of the time of filing this report.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, and the Media Information Officer of Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Chinonso Oteh, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to them were not returned.
Deadly ambush
The arrests followed Tuesday’s reported ambush on a joint security patrol along the Ganawuri-Sabon Gida Road in Riyom Local Government Area.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the attack was first reported by Vanguard and PUNCH newspapers and later confirmed by a security source at the Plateau State Police Command.
According to the reports, four security operatives drawn from two security formations had mounted a snap roadblock along the route before coming under attack.
The operatives were returning to their duty posts when two of them failed to return, prompting a search operation.
Their bodies were later recovered. PUNCH reported that the victims were a police inspector and a lance corporal of the Nigerian Air Force. Their service rifles were also reported stolen during the attack.
Following the incident, security agencies launched extensive cordon-and-search operations across surrounding communities to track down the attackers and recover the stolen weapons.
Worsening insecurity
The latest operation comes amid persistent violence in Riyom and other parts of Plateau State.
PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that gunmen killed former Rim Ward councillor Daniel Danjuma Chong, popularly known as “Hon. Star,” during a late-night attack on Torok community in Riyom Local Government Area.
The newspaper also reported the killing of nine members of a family, including a two-month-old baby, in attacks on Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom. Earlier, six people were killed in separate attacks on communities in Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas.
In another incident, PREMIUM TIMES reported that troops of Operation Enduring Peace rescued seven travellers abducted along the Riyom-Abuja highway after engaging suspected kidnappers in a gun battle.
The recurring attacks have continued to raise concerns among residents and community leaders, who have repeatedly called for sustained intelligence-led operations and stronger security measures across vulnerable communities in Plateau State.