Crime
Enemy within: How blood-thirsty house helps kill bosses in cold blood
Several housemaids employed to assist with household chores have increasingly posed significant risks to their employers. Reports of maids physically and sexually abusing children, poisoning, and even murdering their employers have become alarmingly common. GODFREY GEORGE investigates this troubling trend, uncovering the underlying causes and the impact on families
“Why would you urinate in my teacup? Is there no toilet in your room? Why are you this wicked?” thundered Aisha’s madam, her voice quivering with anger and disbelief.
The scene, captured in a viral video that trended on July 7, 2024, showed a woman in Abuja confronting her young housemaid after discovering the shocking act.
The maid, a girl in her teens, had been caught on CCTV urinating into her madam’s teacup.
After performing the disgusting act, she nonchalantly poured the contents into the kitchen sink and placed the mug back on the rack.
The CCTV footage didn’t end there. On another occasion, the maid was seen sneaking into the kitchen, stuffing various food items—milk, salt, rice, spaghetti, and more—into a black bag, which she then hid under a table.
The video further revealed her opening the fridge, using her bare hands to eat stored food directly from the plates, and then returning the remnants to the fridge.
After each act, she would wipe her hands on her dress and proceed with her duties as if nothing had happened.
When confronted by her madam, the maid broke down in tears, pleading desperately for forgiveness.
“Please, forgive me. I beg you in Allah’s name. I won’t do it again. Please, forgive me,” she sobbed, her voice trembling.
The madam, her patience and trust shattered, remained resolute.
“You will be taken to the police station,” she declared, her voice firm despite the emotional turmoil evident on her face.
The incident, highlighted by the raw footage and the emotional confrontation, underscores the complex dynamics and the breach of trust that can occur between employers and their domestic staff.
Reacting to the video, a Nairaland user, Point Zerom, said, “The worst people to keep in your home are strangers called maids.
“You can never satisfy them, even if you punish her together with your own children, she’ll view her punishment as hatred and wickedness towards her.
“The moment you finally send her home, you’ll be shocked at what she’ll tell people that you did to her, including raping or trying to rape her.”
Another user, Omo Awoke, said it did not seem like the maid in the video meant any harm.
“She is just lazy and dirty. She used the mug to urinate, emptied it in the sink, and washed it. But seriously, some people in third-world countries are a disaster to humanity.
“Humanity does not deserve poverty, as poverty causes oppression and human rights to be trampled upon. I imagine who you would be in the United States/United Kingdom/Canada to hire a full-time housemaid.
“If you can afford one, she will be well-paid and will know her rights. You can’t oppress anybody cheaply like that, no matter who you are.
“She’s your staff, and if she does something wrong, the best thing to do is to call the police to settle the matter, not harass her. I hope Africa will work someday and poverty and illiteracy will end.”
Another user, Elevation D, speaking, noted that the young maid was lazy and dirty.
“That was an act of laziness or dirtiness. If that was her own mug, would she urinate in it, wash it, and keep it as if nothing was wrong? Why not take her bath in the kitchen or poop inside the mug?
“She definitely knew what she was doing and thought she could get away with that irresponsible act. Thank God for CCTV. It has saved many families from the evil intentions of too many so-called housemaids. I do not understand the Hausa language, but the image was enough to form my opinion that the girl was purely wicked with such an act.
“Did you not notice that the cup was not washed with soap? She simply rinsed it with water and placed it on the table. She deserved to be first beaten and then returned to wherever she was brought from.”
He further wrote, “It’s a global issue, and families must remain vigilant. What started as urinating in a cup could have escalated to something far worse. John believed that people must pray to avoid accommodating such evil-minded individuals in their homes. Families must be cautious, aware, and proactive in protecting their loved ones from potential harm.”
A growing menace
In recent times, the role of housemaids in Nigerian homes has come under intense scrutiny due to a rising tide of alarming incidents.
Reports of maids physically and sexually abusing children, poisoning, and even murdering their employers have become disturbingly frequent.
This trend has not only instilled fear among families but also highlighted the critical need for stringent vetting and monitoring of domestic workers.
The headlines paint a grim picture: housemaids trusted to care for children and manage household chores have been implicated in heinous acts. These incidents reveal a dark side of domestic work that has long been overlooked.
The stories often begin with a desperate need for help. Families, burdened by work and other commitments, seek domestic workers to ease their load.
However, beneath the surface of this seemingly simple arrangement lies a complex web of deceit and danger. Maids, some with hidden grudges or sinister motives, infiltrate homes under the guise of assistance.
The twists in these tales often involve a sudden change in the maid’s behaviour, leading to catastrophic consequences.
Stealing without mercy
No one believed that 22-year-old Odiong Emmanuel was capable of theft.
He had been living with the Attonis since he was 16. He was originally employed to work as a fuel attendant at a fuel stand in the Bonny Island Local Government Area of Rivers State.
His family had come to drop him off with Mr Fidelis Attoni and his wife, Comfort, to ‘assist with housework’.
“We saw how things were going and decided that we should let him work as the chief attendant in my husband’s fuel stand. He was living with us. We gave him an en suite apartment in our home, but he eats from my kitchen.
“We placed him on a salary of N30, 000 and we still provided clothes for him and also sent money to his parents. What we never knew was that he was stealing from us,” Comfort told our correspondent.
A few years down the line, Mrs Comfort said she noticed that Odiong was becoming too defensive and didn’t want anyone to get into his room.
“We would ask him to wash the cars, but he wouldn’t do it. He started bringing women to our home and it was becoming really uncomfortable for my kids and me. I told my husband who was always away but he said I was overreacting. So, I let it be.
“In 2018, this boy brought a new phone to the living room to charge. We asked him who owned it; he said it was one of his friends who gave it to him. After our investigation, we found out the phone belonged to him. We dug further and found out he had rented a house in the area and had fully furnished the place with a TV, an air conditioner and a full sofa set. He also lodged two girls from the neighbourhood there. One was already pregnant for him as I learnt. Her mother had been searching for her for weeks not knowing she had gone to live with him in his new location.
“I didn’t know how to approach the matter. I just called my husband and told him. I also asked that he audited his account. What we found out will shock you. This guy used to make a daily contribution of N2000 in three places.
“His account statement showed he always sent N50,000 every week to a particular account number, believed to be that of a family member of his. This guy has been stealing from my husband and has started a building in his village. I cannot even believe it,” she said.
The woman said when Odiong was confronted; he first lied about it and was acting like the victim until her husband involved the police.
“The auditor we hired had given us all the documents that showed the wreckage he had done for more than the four years or so he lived with us.
“This boy just wanted to ruin my husband’s business. He would make N500,000 and he would write N50,000. The guy was a clear thief.
“My husband would be lamenting that the business was not making any profit and we were losing money every time. We never knew this boy was stealing from us daily and enriching himself,” she said.
“We involved the police who began an investigation, and the things we found out were heartbreaking. After some time, my husband said we should withdraw the case. We did and we called his people and sent him back to them.
“To date, I have not been able to get over it. My family decided that whoever was coming to work for us would stay in their own homes and come from there and we wouldn’t have any affiliation with them other than paying them their salaries.”
When our correspondent reached out to Odiong on Wednesday, he said he did not steal anything from the Attonis.
“Don’t listen to them. I didn’t steal from them. They expected me to look tattered because I was working for them. They are lying against me. They thought if they sacked me, I would be homeless. I am not homeless. I am fine and I will rise again,” he said.
Asked if he was into any daily saving scheme, he said, “That one is not their business. Bros, I didn’t do anything to those people. They were accusing me of sleeping with their daughter. I did not touch that girl.”
Our correspondent reached out to the Attonis to share Odiong’s reaction, stressing the issue of sexual intercourse with their daughter.
Mrs Attoni, responding angrily, said, “That boy wants us to send him to prison. If he dares us, we will send him to prison.”
Mrs Comfort said her husband enrolled Odiong in a sandwich programme with a college of education based in Enugu that ran a satellite programme in the area and was footing the bills.
According to her, he was in his third year, studying social studies education.
“We celebrate his birthday. We give him money for Christmas and send food and money to his family every month together with the salary we pay him. He enters my kitchen and dishes his own meals. He cooks what he wants. He sleeps in my children’s rooms. I treat him as my own son. How can he be that wicked to us?” she queried.
On Thursday, Odiong called back and asked this reporter to help beg the Attonis for forgiveness, saying that he did not do it all alone.
He mentioned some names which have been shared with the Attonis who have promised to take the matter up with the police and their lawyers.
Ran off with employer’s kids
In 2016, Mr Suliyat Azeez, a resident of Okokomaiko, Lagos, hired Grace as a home-help to assist with household chores and look after her two young children, six-year-old Kafaya and four-year-old Farouk.
Grace, who had recently started working for the Azeezs, perpetrated the abduction barely 24 hours into her employment.
The abduction unfolded when Grace, seemingly under the guise of buying food for the children, took Kafaya and Farouk out of the home of the Azeezs and did not return.
Upon discovering that her children were missing, Mrs Azeez promptly reported the incident to the police, triggering an immediate search and investigation.
The case quickly garnered significant public and media attention due to its shocking nature and the vulnerability of the abducted children.
It raised concerns and questions about Grace’s intentions and background, as well as the risks associated with employing domestic staff without thorough background checks or safeguards.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force, launched a widespread search operation to locate Grace and safely recover Kafaya and Farouk.
Details regarding the eventual recovery of Kafaya and Farouk or the apprehension of Grace are not extensively documented in public records. However, the Nigeria Police found the children and arrested the perpetrator who said she was going to sell the children for a fee.
Kidnapped kids, used them for begging
In the same year, there was another unsettling case – Asmau’s. Asmau, a housemaid, exploited the trust of her employer, Hawau, to kidnap her two children, six-year-old Amina and seven-year-old Rukayya, from Ogun State and subjected them to a life of begging in Lagos.
Hawau had employed Asmau to help with household chores and care for her children, Amina and Rukayya.
Trusting her housemaid, Hawau sent the children with Asmau to their grandparents in Lagos, believing they would be safe and cared for.
However, Asmau had different intentions. Instead of taking the children to their grandparents, she took them to Lagos and used them to beg for alms on the streets.
The children, dressed in tattered clothes, were subjected to harsh conditions.
Asmau forced them to beg, and any resistance or display of emotion was met with beatings.
The young girls, Amina and Rukayya, endured unimaginable hardship as they navigated the dangerous streets of Lagos, far from the safety of their homes and the comfort of their families.
Hawau’s nightmare began when she learned that her children were not with their grandparents as expected.
Frantic and desperate, she reported the incident to the authorities, sparking a search for Asmau and the missing children.
The case drew significant attention, highlighting the perils faced by children who fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals.
Law enforcement agencies and child welfare organizations in Lagos collaborated to locate Amina and Rukayya.
The search efforts involved appeals to the public for information and a thorough investigation into the whereabouts of Asmau.
The community rallied together, driven by the hope of finding the innocent children and bringing them back to safety.
The rescue of Amina and Rukayya was a moment of relief and joy for their family and the community. However, the trauma they experienced left a lasting impact.
Nanny kidnaps three-year-old in FCT
In June 2023, in Abuja, a nanny who was said to have abducted her employer’s three-year-old son was arrested alongside her accomplices.
The nanny was said to have disappeared with the child in the Gwarimpa area of the FCT that weekend.
In an update on Thursday morning, July 13, the boy’s uncle, Jesse Dan Yusuf, confirmed that the suspected kidnappers have been arrested and the child rescued.
He wrote, “On Saturday, my three-year-old nephew was kidnapped by his nanny. The kidnappers called and threatened us to pay a ransom.
“We’ve been praying and trusting God. God showed up. My nephew is home, safe and sound and the perpetrators were caught too. Please, dance with me!”
Narrow escape
In another startling incident that unfolded in Ondo State, Mr Nasiru Akinlosotu, a 63-year-old former medicine store operator, narrowly escaped death by the grace of providence.
Mary Akinnifesi, a primary four pupil and the family’s housemaid had harboured a sinister plot against her master to kill him off over a dispute.
She decided to poison Akinlosotu’s meal with rat poison, an action that would have led to tragic consequences for his family.
The motive behind such a drastic measure from a young girl left both the victim’s family and the police baffled.
The trigger was a simple rebuke for spilling water in the living room the night before she was directed to prepare dinner by Sikirat, Akinlosotu’s wife.
Sikirat, a primary school teacher who also managed a shop after school hours, had no inkling of the brewing malice in their home.
Unaware of the grudge Mary held against her husband, she instructed the maid to prepare beans for dinner and serve them to Akinlosotu.
Sensing an opportunity for revenge, Mary allegedly decided to lace the meal with rat poison that had been purchased to deal with a rodent problem.
For two years, Mary had lived with the Akinlosotu family without displaying any malicious tendencies, making her sudden act all the more shocking.
That evening, Akinlosotu, weary and hungry, returned home and asked for his meal almost immediately.
The poisoned food was promptly served by Mary, and as he began to mix the beans, he noticed an unusual smell emanating from the dish. Despite this, he took a spoonful, only to spit it out immediately due to the awful taste.
Suspicious of the unusual odour and taste, Akinlosotu summoned Mary and questioned her about the meal.
Initially, she lied, claiming she had only added spices to enhance the aroma. Dissatisfied with her explanation, Akinlosotu pressed further, sensing something was amiss.
After much pressure, Mary confessed to her heinous act, admitting she had crushed rat poison into his portion of the food.
The revelation prompted Akinlosotu to raise the alarm, inviting neighbours to witness the shocking confession.
However, despite the gravity of the situation, Akinlosotu decided not to press charges against Mary.
Femi Joseph, the then-spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, confirmed that Mr Akinlosotu had formally applied to withdraw his complaint.
Beninoise cook poisons three, steals N51m
In March 2023, the Police at the Ikoyi Division, Ikoyi, Lagos, arrested a cook from the Benin Republic, 35-year-old Amoussou Wilfred.
He was charged before a Lagos Magistrates’ Court for allegedly administering poisonous substances into the food he prepared for his employer, 80-year-old Musibau Fashanu; his wife, Jumoke, and their three domestic servants which led them to fall into a coma for about five days.
As they battled for their lives, the cook was said to have used the opportunity to steal the couple’s properties worth N51m and fled.
The police alleged that Wilfred also poisoned the food he prepared for the security man, Friday Agoh; the house help, Theresa Odite, and the nanny, Margaret Dewene, which led them to also fall asleep during which the cook carted away his employer’s property such as five android phones valued at N1.9m; assorted gold jewellery, wrist watches, laptops and money all valued at N51m.
The police further alleged that when the complainants recovered from the coma, they reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Ikoyi Division, Ikoyi, Lagos who swiftly directed his crack team to fish out the defendant.
The team swung into action and after days of intelligence gathering tracked the defendant to a hideout in Lagos and arrested him.
Wilfred was charged before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, Lagos on a seven-count charge bordering on attempted murder and stealing.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs Gbajumo Ayoku granted him N1m bail with two sureties in like sum.
Ayoku adjourned the case till 24 April 2023 for mention and ordered that the defendant be detained at the Ikoyi correctional facility till he can perfect the bail conditions.
Killer maids
On October 31, 2023, the Niger State Police Command arrested 14-year-old Joy Afekafez, over the murder of Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
Miss Afekafez was the housemaid of the slain lecturer.
The deceased was killed at her residence in the Gbaiko Area of Minna on Sunday.
A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Wasiu Abiodun, said the suspect was arrested on Monday at about 9 pm at a residence within the Gbeganu area of Minna for culpable homicide.
Mr Abiodun alleged that during interrogation, the suspect confessed that she worked as the deceased’s housemaid for about three weeks and she was laid off for an undisclosed misdeed.
He further alleged that after the suspect was laid off, she met her classmates called Walex and Smart, narrated her ordeal to them and conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence.
“They went to the residence on Saturday at about 4 pm with a motorcycle and she surfaced at the gate, while the lecturer opened the gate for her.
“Walex and Smart later entered, beat the deceased, hit her head with a stool and stabbed her with a knife brought by Walex while Smart took another knife from the kitchen, and stabbed her ‘severally’.
“She said the deceased phone and laptop were taken away, while they also removed the battery of the vehicle parked in the compound and fled the scene,” Mr Abiodun said.
Mr Abiodun further explained that on Sunday some friends and Church members visited the deceased‘s residence in Gbaiko Area of Minna because she could not be reached on the phone.
Maid to face hangmen for killing ex-gov Igbinedion’s mother
In March 2023, an Edo State High court, hordered a maid, Dominion Okoro, to die by hanging for killing Madam Maria Oredola Igbinedion, mother of former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion.
The 25-year-old convict murdered the deceased, who was her Madam with a stool with intent to rob her of the sum of N100,000 on December 1, 2021, at her residence in Ugbor Community, Oredo Local Government Area of the state.
The trial Judge, Justice Efe Ikponmwoba, who gave the verdict on Monday, held that the convict, after committing the act, also used cotton wool to stoke the nose of the deceased and thereafter, called a cab man to escape from the house early the following morning.
The convict confessed to the police that she bought Indian hemp, which she used in preparing meals for the deceased to weaken and kill her without a struggle, according to the court.
The judge, therefore, held that with the evidence of the pathologist on the cause of death, evidence of other prosecution witnesses in addition to the convict’s confessional statement, it was safe for the court to send the convict to the gallows.
In the case of Patience Okoro, elder sister of the convict in the case, the Court noted that the only evidence linking her with the case was that Dominion called her to inform her after committing the act.
Patience was, therefore, discharged and acquitted of the charge of the offence of accessory after murder, accordingly.
PUNCH
The Kano State Police Command has rescued nine passengers who were abducted after armed bandits attacked a commercial bus along the Jos-Kano highway in Doguwa Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Kano, saying the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on July 26.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Doguwa Division received a distress call reporting that a Toyota Hiace bus, with registration number BKK 6824 XA, travelling from Jos to Kano, had been attacked around the Folgore Forest axis, between Gate Two Safer Highway and Dogo Dutse.
Kiyawa said five suspected armed bandits, reportedly armed with machetes and a firearm, blocked the highway, attacked the vehicle and abducted 13 of the 20 passengers on board.
He said the DPO immediately mobilised tactical police operatives to the scene, where they engaged the attackers in a gun battle.
The police spokesperson said the swift intervention of the operatives led to the rescue of nine victims, while another male passenger later escaped from captivity.
He, however, disclosed that three victims — one male and two females — remained in the custody of the abductors.
The rescued passengers were taken to Doguwa General Hospital for medical evaluation and were reported to be in stable condition.
Kiyawa said the command had intensified operations, deploying additional tactical teams and enhancing intelligence gathering efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended members of the public for providing timely information that contributed to the rescue operation.
Bakori reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and urged residents to continue reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.
He added that investigations into the incident were ongoing, assuring that further updates would be made available to the public.
The arrest was effected by troops of Operation Hadin Kai according to an X post by security professional, Zagazola Makama.
Identifying the suspect as Private Mohammed Yusuf of the Nigerian Army Ordnance Training Facility, NAOTF, Lagos with service number: 23NA/84/1939, Makama said he was apprehended by troops of 7 Provost Group led by the Acting Commander at about 6:30pm on July 25, 2026 by.
He had earlier absconded from his unit and travelled to Maiduguri on July 7, 2026, where he allegedly went into hiding.
This made the army high command to declare him wanted.
According to Makama, “The suspect is currently in the custody of the 7 Provost Group, where he is undergoing further investigation into the alleged supply of military accoutrements to terrorist elements and the possible involvement of other collaborators.
“The arrest is a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle insider networks aiding terrorist groups, adding that investigations are continuing to establish the full extent of the suspect’s activities and identify any accomplices,” Makama said.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 55-year-old Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, over an alleged attempt to export 3.30kg of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.
The NDLEA said Chinedu, a clothing trader at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of the cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—were initially arrested for handling the shipment.
The agency said their arrests led to the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the consignment to the cargo agents for shipment to the UK.
Okakpu’s arrest, according to the NDLEA, provided investigators with information that led to the identification of Chinedu as the alleged kingpin behind the operation. He was subsequently arrested while allegedly attempting to send another consignment of cocaine to the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following the seizure of 2.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
The agency said the consignment arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20, 2026, before Chukwu-Edo was arrested the following day.
Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, with an estimated street value of over N2.2bn, from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight.
The agency said the recovery followed intelligence-led operations and a joint examination of the cargo on Friday, July 24.
This came shortly after NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap and allegedly destined for the UK at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives also uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg, with an estimated street value of over N7.1bn.
The drugs were allegedly concealed inside three vehicles packed in a shipping container. The consignment was uncovered during a joint examination on Monday, July 20.
In Katsina State, NDLEA operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani during a patrol operation at Baure, Safana Local Government Area, and recovered 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition allegedly concealed on him.
The ammunition reportedly comprised 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm.
Another suspect, 30-year-old Abubakar Amadu, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation at Jere, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition allegedly concealed inside kegs of red oil.
The NDLEA said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Meanwhile, in Edo State, the agency said its operatives recovered 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds during a raid on a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, on Sunday, July 19.
The operation also led to the arrest of 45-year-old Ojore Onweze, who was allegedly found with 60kg of skunk, and 30-year-old George Agwumede, who was allegedly arrested with 13kg of the same substance.
According to a statement on Friday, the arrested officers are: “AP/No. 207454, ASP Elomore Sodayo; AP/No. 332012, Inspector Adefila Adewale; AP/No. 332449, Inspector Olorunfemi Opeyemi; and AP/No. 332369, Inspector Odusola Peter.”
Speaking at the command headquarters in Akure on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, said the police had zero tolerance for indiscipline and unprofessional conduct.
He added that a comprehensive investigation had been ordered to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the level of culpability of each officer involved.
He added that officers were expected to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism, respect human dignity and comply strictly with the Force’s Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.
“The Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined and professional institution that does not condone any form of misconduct, incivility, or actions capable of undermining public confidence, promoting ethnic division, or bringing the Force into disrepute,” the commissioner said.
He assured the public that the investigation would be conducted to determine the facts of the case, adding that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary action.
This was said to be part of renewed efforts to tackle insecurity.
Disu gave the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
According to the IG, the order followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that the persistent insecurity in Benue State must be brought to an end.
He stressed that only authorised security personnel were legally permitted to bear firearms, warning that the era of passive policing was over.
“You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he said.
Disu disclosed that police officers had been empowered under Force Order 237 to respond decisively to armed threats without waiting for directives from superior officers.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow.
“They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”
He called on residents to support security agencies with credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to the fight against armed criminality.
Benue State has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups in recent months, resulting in the loss of lives, displacement of residents and destruction of property.
The federal government has continued to deploy additional security personnel and adopt tougher measures aimed at restoring peace in the state.
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