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The Vice-Chancellor of Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), Prof. Timothy Alabar, has disclosed that four suspected members of the gang allegedly responsible for the killing of Professor Gabriel Nyityo of the Department of History and his younger brother have been arrested.
Alabar made the disclosure during a press briefing to mark his first six months in office, held at the university’s Senate Chambers.
Recall that Professor Nyityo and his younger brother were killed by suspected gunmen on July 7, 2026.
The Vice-Chancellor lamented that the incident has adversely affected academic activities and service delivery in the Department of History.
According to him, the deceased was one of the founding members of the department, as well as a researcher and curriculum developer who played a significant role in the development of the department and the university.
He said Nyityo was “one of the strong pillars” of the Department of History and the university at large, noting that the department had produced distinguished scholars in History and Diplomatic Studies within and outside Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor lamented that Nyityo’s death was particularly painful because he was the second professor to be killed in the History Department of the institution.
Alabar said information obtained from security agencies indicated that the assailants were five suspected cattle rustlers from Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
According to him, the suspects reportedly entered Benue in search of cattle but, after failing to locate any, stumbled upon the residence of the professor.
He explained that the suspects allegedly noticed that Nyityo’s residence was the only house with its light on that night and decided to attack it, believing that the occupant might have money.
“They jumped in, thinking that the man should have money. When they got in, they killed him and his younger brother,” Alabar said.
The suspects reportedly left the area the following day and headed towards Nasarawa State, where four of them were subsequently apprehended.
The Vice-Chancellor said the four suspects were now in Benue State, while interrogation by security agencies was ongoing.
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He said: “As of last Friday, four of those gang members had been arrested and they are in Benue State now, but the gang leader is still at large.”
Alabar added that the suspects had been arraigned and were being held at a correctional centre, with their case expected to come up before Magistrate Court No. 9 in Makurdi.
He appealed to members of the university community, particularly the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to follow up on the case to ensure that the prosecution progressed to a logical conclusion.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university management had been monitoring the development and engaging security agencies, stressing that justice must be pursued to its logical conclusion.
He said: “We are following at management level. I am talking to members of the university community, especially ASUU. Let’s do a follow-up on this case so that we can address this issue once and for all.”
Alabar also called on the Benue State Government to consider providing land for a residential estate for university staff as part of measures to improve their security.
He explained that having members of staff reside in the same area would enable them to know one another and easily identify suspicious persons within the community.
“When you stay as members, you know yourselves very well. Once you see someone who is very strange, you can actually identify,” he said.
According to him, the isolated location where Prof. Nyityo lived may have contributed to the difficulty in getting help during the attack, as there was no close-knit community that could quickly respond to a distress call.
He proposed that staff living together could develop a community-based security structure that would enable them to respond promptly to suspicious movements and security threats.
The Vice-Chancellor appealed to the government to consider the proposal, stressing that while crime could not be eliminated completely, deliberate measures could help reduce its impact.
“You cannot control crime completely, but there is a way you can control it,” Alabar said.
