By Desire Emmanuel
An assailant who has been on the wanted list of the Benue State Police Command after he killed the commander of a hunters group and his wife has been shot dead by the men of the command during a gun duel.
The state police command announced the incident on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning, saying the man, Michael Salter, was shot dead after he returned to the state and following intelligence reports gathered about his movement.
He was declared wanted after he was involved in the killing of the Hunters’ Commander, whose name was given as Mr. Aondoakaa Yayol, on June 20, 2025. He had earlier on February 11, 2023, killed the commander’s wife, Mrs. Kashimana Yayol, in Wannune, a town in the state.
It was gathered that on October 18, the police got information that the man had secretly returned to Makurdi and was going about his normal daily life.
Following the information received, a team of detectives was deployed to apprehend him and he was sighted around George Akume Way, Makurdi.
Upon sighting the operatives however, he was said to have opened fire on them. The police responded appropriately and succeeded in subduing and arresting him.
The command wrote: “During the encounter, the man sustained gunshot injuries and was immediately taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) for treatment, where he was confirmed dead by the doctors on duty. His corpse has since been deposited at the hospital morgue.”
The command disclosed that during the encounter, items recovered from him included one AK-47 rifle one locally-fabricated shotgun, several 7.62mm live bullets, cartridges and seven SIM cards suspected to have been stolen.
