Nigerian soldiers arrest Benue militia leader's spiritual adviser (photos)

macfranc007 January 31, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- The shrine and suspected hideout of a notorious native doctor, Tordue Gber (Tiv Swem) was raided by the Nigerian army

- The notorious Benue native doctor spiritually backing a militia leader was arrested

- A locally fabricated pistol, two baretta pistols, 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition, three motorcycles and assorted charms were recovered

Troops of 707 Special Forces Brigade, Nigerian army, on Monday, January 29, raided the shrine and suspected hideout of a notorious native doctor, Tordue Gber (Tiv Swem), who acts as spiritual adviser to the wanted armed criminal militia at Tor-Dunga town, Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue state.

According to a statement sent to NAIJ.com by the director, army public relations, Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman, the troops succeeded in arresting Tiv Swem.

Tiv Swem is an ally of the wanted notorious criminal, Akwazar Terwase (alias Gana), a militia leader declared wanted by the security agencies and has been at large since 2016.

Soldiers raid militia spiritual leader's shrine, arrest chief priest

The arrested militia spiritual leader and some of the arms recovered from him. Photo credit: Nigerian Army

According to the army, preliminary investigation shows that Tiv Swem acts as spiritual counselor that provides Gana with “diabolical” powers and the shrine serves as hideout for wanted armed militia, meeting and planning point for operations and logistics base for the criminal armed militias that operate in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

The native doctor was arrested along with one of his accomplice, Atoo Kuwe Francis, while planning to carry out an attack and abduct one Mr. Zaya at Tse Bente village in the same local government. However, Tordue was said to have been shot dead during the struggle to disarm him.

The troops recovered a locally fabricated pistol, 2 baretta pistols, 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 3 motorcycles and assorted charms. Other items include warm clothing for concealing weapons, 2 mobile telephones and 3 power generators, amongst other items at the hideout.

Troops ransacking the spiritual leader's shrine. Photo credit: Nigerian Army

The army's operation was on the same day the commissioner of police in Benue state, Fatai Owoseni, revealed how Gana allegedly took advantage of the crisis in the state to launch attacks on communities.

Owoseni however said normalcy had been restored in all the communities attacked by herdsmen and appealed to residents to stop fleeing their homes.

According to him, police officers were doing their best to enable all the displaced persons return to their homes, adding that they would collaborate with members of the public to achieve this.

Victims of herdsmen killings buried in Benue state on NAIJ.com TV