Parents Demand Release of Arrested Suspects Accused of Killing Fulani Leaders 

Parents Rebut Police Allegations

In interviews conducted by Benue-based blogger and human rights activist Meddy Olotu Emmanuel, several parents said their children were rounded up at a food joint near the Total Filling Station in Otukpo, several kilometers from where the killings occurred.

“My son came back from his daily work and decided to eat before returning home,” said Mrs. Useni Adama, mother of 21-year-old Sunday Useni.

“Police suddenly raided the place. They never explained what offense they had committed. They simply arrested everyone who was there.”

She described her son as a farm laborer with no history of violence.

“He does not even know how to use a gun. I appeal to the Federal Government to release my child.”

Her husband echoed the claim, saying his son had returned from work shortly before his arrest.

“My son is innocent. Since they took him away to Makurdi, our family has been devastated.”

Mrs. Adakole, mother of another suspect, John Adokole, also denied that her son had any involvement.

“My son was arrested while eating at the food joint in Otukpo. He never went to Okwudu, where the attack happened.”

Adokole’s father, a security guard at St. Jude, said authorities prevented his son from contacting the family after his arrest.

“He is the one supporting me. I am begging the authorities to help us.”

In a separate interview with TruthNigeria, Rebecca, mother of 23-year-old Daniel Raphael, said her son had simply gone to buy food for his younger siblings when police arrested him.

The police have not publicly responded to the parents’ allegations.

Analyst Questions Motive

Retired Nigerian Navy Commander and security analyst Adanu Onjefu questioned whether the killings were connected to the arrested suspects, arguing that investigators should also examine the possibility of internal rivalries within MACBAN.

“This is not the first time MACBAN leaders have been killed,” Onjefu told TruthNigeria 

He pointed to several previous killings of senior officials within the organization, including the 2021 killings of Nasarawa State MACBAN chairman Muhammad Husseini and Toto chairman Muhammad Mar, which local reports linked to leadership disputes. Other MACBAN chairmen have also been killed in Kogi and Katsina states under differing circumstances.

Onjefu said investigators should avoid drawing conclusions before completing a thorough and impartial investigation.

Why It Matters to the United States

MACBAN is a Sociocultural Fulani group but viewed by many Nigerians and International workers in Nigeria as a terrorist organization. There are growing calls, including by the U.S. Congress to designate it as a terrorist organization 

Fulani is the 4th most deadly group, killing more than Boko Haram and Islamic State according to the Global Terror Index cited by the UK human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide.  

Benue State has become one of the country’s deadliest flashpoints, and religious freedom advocates in the United States have repeatedly urged Washington to increase attention to the security crisis affecting predominantly Christian farming communities.

The arrests are also drawing attention because of concerns over due process. Human rights organizations have long warned that arbitrary arrests and weak criminal investigations can undermine public confidence, fuel communal tensions and complicate efforts to hold the actual perpetrators accountable.

For U.S. policymakers, the case highlights broader concerns about Nigeria’s stability, religious violence, counterterrorism cooperation and the rule of law in one of Africa’s largest democracies and a key American security partner. An investigation viewed as credible and transparent will be closely watched both inside Nigeria and internationally.

Ekani Olikita is a Conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria

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