A serving police inspector, Ogbu Clement, and his elder brother, Isawa Ogbu, have been taken into custody for allegedly spearheading a mob attack and forceful seizure of a corpse in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident, which triggered outrage among residents, was first highlighted in a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama on Sunday.
According to Makama, trouble started on November 28 when Dr. Pius Onwe Odengle of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital was conveying the remains of his late mother, Mama Lucy Inogwanya, from Makurdi to Ogyoma Village for burial.
He alleged that at the Ogyoma Village junction, Insp. Clement, who serves at the Zone 7 Police Headquarters in Abuja, mounted a blockade on the highway with a group of youths from Adim Village.
They reportedly damaged a Benue State Civil Protection Guard vehicle, forcefully seized the corpse, and buried it in Adim Village, claiming the deceased was their aunty.
Community sources recounted that the situation escalated the following morning when, at about 9:30 a.m., the inspector and his brother allegedly mobilised more youths to Ogyoma, where they descended on residents, destroyed over 500 plastic chairs, smashed windows and doors, and left several villagers injured.
Police authorities confirmed that the Divisional Police Officer in Otukpo swiftly deployed patrol teams to the area, working alongside troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, NSCDC Agro-Rangers, and operatives of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard.
Photographs were reportedly taken as evidence, while the injured were moved to the hospital for treatment.
The police have since confirmed the arrest of Inspector Clement and his brother, noting that a full investigation into the matter is underway.