The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of four persons over the killing of Ibrahim Mbaya, a University of Jos graduate and model popularly known as “Ibee”, saying two other suspects are still being sought.
Speaking while parading the suspects in Jos on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, said investigations showed that six people took part in the attack that claimed Mbaya’s life.
He said the case came to the attention of the police after a concerned resident alerted officers that a badly injured man had been taken to hospital.
“Through a Good Samaritan, the Plateau State Police Command received information that a young man had been taken to the hospital in a very critical condition,” Alabo said.
According to him, the victim later died, leading detectives to launch a full investigation.
“Based on that information, we swung into action and arrested three suspects. During interrogation, they confessed to their various roles in the crime,” he said.
Alabo explained that investigators later arrested another suspect, raising the number of those in custody to four.
“As investigations progressed, another suspect was arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to four,” Alabo said.
“We have established that about six persons were directly involved in this incident, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.”
The police spokesperson alleged that one of the suspects, Emmanuel Newyear, was seen beating the victim with a wooden plank, while another suspect, Joshua Tell, was also arrested during the investigation.
He added that preliminary findings linked the suspects through the same educational institution, prompting the police to work closely with the National Association of Nigerian Students to identify everyone connected to the incident.
“We have been working closely with the leadership of NANS to ensure that every person involved in this crime is identified and arrested,” Alabo said.
He said representatives of the student body attended the parade to demonstrate support for efforts to ensure justice.
“The four suspects you are seeing today are already in our custody, and we will continue to pursue the remaining suspects until they are all arrested. We will also continue to keep members of the public informed as the investigation progresses,” he added.
The command cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that criminal allegations should always be reported to security agencies.
“The command remains committed to ensuring justice for the deceased and warns against jungle justice. Criminal allegations should always be reported to law enforcement agencies rather than taking the law into one’s hands,” Alabo said.
Police also appealed to anyone with useful information to assist the investigation, assuring the public that such information would be handled confidentially.
The killing has continued to attract widespread condemnation, with many residents and civil society groups demanding that everyone involved be brought to justice.
