The Benue State Police Command has called for stronger cooperation with traditional rulers and community leaders in Otukpo Local Government Area following the rescue of 13 passengers kidnapped along the Otukpo–Adoka road.
Commissioner of Police Cletus C. N. Nwadiogbu made the call during a visit to the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Agabaidu Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji, in Otukpo on Thursday.
The visit comes about a week after police rescued 13 passengers abducted while travelling from Enugu to Abuja.
The passengers were rescued at about 02:00 on 20 August at Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo after about five days of search operations, according to the police.
Officers said they acted on intelligence and worked with local security personnel during the operation.
The police said the operation followed an earlier attack on 14 passengers travelling in a commercial bus on 13 August.
Five victims were initially rescued, while nine others were reported to remain in captivity.
Subsequent verification of the passenger list showed that four additional passengers had not appeared on the original manifest, bringing the number rescued in the later operation to 13.
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Why the police are turning to communities
The Commissioner told community and youth leaders in Otukpo that prompt information-sharing and actionable intelligence would help the police respond more effectively to security threats.
He also met officers at the Otukpo Area Command and later visited the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council.
The discussions focused on security coordination, peaceful coexistence and cooperation between the police, traditional institutions, government and local communities.
The police said the engagement was intended to strengthen community policing rather than rely solely on conventional police operations.
Community policing has been part of Nigeria's policing strategy for more than two decades.
The Nigeria Police Force says it introduced the approach in 2002, with the aim of improving relationships between the police and the communities they serve.
The approach has received renewed emphasis under Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu.
In May 2026, the IGP directed Commissioners of Police to strengthen community policing through regular town-hall meetings involving traditional rulers, religious leaders and community groups.
He also directed Commissioners to make their contact details accessible to community leaders to improve communication and public trust.
Och’Idoma welcomes the visit
The Och’Idoma commended the police for what he described as recent successes by the Benue Command.His comments included the rescue of the kidnapped passengers travelling towards Abuja.
He urged the Commissioner to maintain the level of commitment that had contributed to what the palace described as relative calm in the area.
The police did not provide independent evidence in the statement to quantify the wider improvement in security in Otukpo.
What the recent kidnapping shows
The rescue operation was a significant outcome for the affected families, but the kidnapping itself highlights the continuing risks faced by travellers using roads in parts of Benue.
The August attack also exposed a practical problem for security operations: incomplete passenger records initially led to uncertainty over the number of people still in captivity.
The police subsequently urged transport operators to maintain accurate passenger manifests because such records can help authorities identify victims and coordinate rescue efforts during emergencies.
For residents, the latest police-community engagement could therefore have implications beyond the immediate meetings.
Better intelligence from communities could help the police identify suspicious movements, locate criminal hideouts and respond earlier to threats.
But the effectiveness of the strategy will depend on whether residents trust the police enough to share information and whether officers can act on credible intelligence quickly.
What happens next?
CP Nwadiogbu said the Benue Command would continue to deepen community policing and stakeholder engagement across Otukpo and other parts of the state.
The Commissioner also thanked the traditional institution, local government, security agencies and community stakeholders for their cooperation.
He said, “effective security requires a collective approach and sustained partnership among the Police, traditional institutions, government and the communities they serve.”
The immediate test will be whether the renewed engagement produces measurable improvements in intelligence-sharing, response times and the prevention of further kidnappings.
For travellers and residents in Otukpo, the priority remains clear: safer roads and communities, backed by security operations that can prevent attacks rather than respond only after they occur.
