Since CP Bassey Ewah took office in February 2026, 64 complaints of rape and defilement have been received by the Plateau State Command. This information was provided by the commissioner of police.
At the Command’s headquarters in Jos, the State Capital, on Friday, Ewah made the announcement while presenting 18 individuals apprehended for cultism, rape, murder, unlawful possession of weapons, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
His statement went something like, “rape and defilement are not family matters.” He went on to warn that trying to “settle” such instances unofficially would get you nowhere.
Furthermore, he emphasised that this action is a part of their dedication to public accountability and a strong signal to criminal groups that Plateau State will not provide them with a safe haven.
The arrests were disproportionately for sex-related crimes, he said. A complaint was received by the Pankshin Divisional Police Headquarters on 24/03/2026 regarding the indiscretion of carnal knowledge by an 18-year-old guy named Longnan Joshua with a one-year-old girl.
Typically, the victim’s older brother takes care of the victim when their mother, who is a student, is absent. Upon her return home, she discovered him washing the victim, which made her suspicious.
The brother said the authorities that anytime his sister was alone at home, the suspect, Longnan Joshua, would ask him to go get peanuts or cookies. The culprit would be found naked on top of the victim, engaging in sexual relations with her through the anus, when he returned.
The victim’s anus appeared to be hyperaemic, with bleeding streaming out of it, according to the medical examination. The discovery of a minor amount of semen from the anus further supports the suspicion of sexual assault, according to the CP. Arrested, Joshua will face charges in court.
Douglas Madaki, a 19-year-old male from Ikukumu village, Tudun Wada, Jos North LGA, was arrested on 17/04/2026, according to Yeah, for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a seven-year-old girl on multiple occasions and warned her not to tell anyone. He threatened the girl not to inform anyone on each of the five occasions he had done this to her, according to the complainant who overheard her.
He elaborated by saying that Madaki had “admitted to the crime and is currently in our custody.
According to the CP, on 09/03/2026, “one Asen Arin, male, 40 years old of Tina Junction for forcefully having sexual intercourse with his niece, whenever her grandmother was not at home.” This information was revealed by the Nassarawa Gwong Division police.
“The suspect has been violating the victim since she was about nine years old,” CP Ewah revealed.
And the police are trying to catch one Usman Agwom and another woman named Ishaya Aju, who had been having sexual relations with her without her will.
Anglo-Jos Police Station apprehended Oyenado Yetunde Esther, a female from Sparkling Junction, on 23/04/2026 for abusing a 17-year-old girl who was in her care, according to the CP.
After seeing the victim and her lover engaging in sexual activity in the store, Esther admitted to the crime and explained that it motivated her to behave violently.
Christopher Jah Gyang, a 34-year-old guy, was also taken into custody. In Ewah’s explanation, the police learned that the victim had been pregnant with the second suspect before, but the pregnancy was aborted.
According to CP Ewah, a man named Ebubechukwu Kelvin Ihionu, who was 40 years old and from Utan, Jos North LGA, was killed by a crowd outside the permanent site of the University of Jos on January 4, 2026. One Usman Idris purchased the phone from Abba Musa, who acquired it from Abubakar Sadiq Mustapha, according to the investigation into the deceased’s whereabouts.
The person who picked up the phone at the scene of the incident was determined to be Mustapha, according to the investigation.
“One Iliya Amagon, male of Tenti Village, Barkin Ladi LGA, was arrested by Barkin Ladi Division on 26/04/2026. The suspect was found with three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and three empty magazines,” Ewah mentioned further.
The man from Dahwol village in Jos South LGA, Eliya Dalyop Barry, allegedly supplied them to Amagon, who claimed to have gotten them from an escaped Mr. Dachomo.
“He admitted to purchasing seven guns, each priced at eight hundred thousand naira, and then reselling them for a commission,” the CP noted.
“A disturbing epidemic of rape and defilement in Plateau State,” CP Ewah said of the recent uptick in sexual assaults.
“Assaults on women and girls are no longer the exclusive domain of this horrific crime,” he declared. We are now documenting instances of sexual assault on minors, including both boys and girls, perpetrated by those who are legally supposed to protect them, such as guardians. There will be zero tolerance for this despicable act of betrayal of trust.
“Some traditional and religious leaders have been pleading for these issues to be resolved domestically so that the reputations of the families and communities involved can be preserved,” he denied.
“I want to make it very clear: rape and defilement have nothing to do with family. These offences are against the state, and no one or organization can protect those responsible from punishment, CP Ewah proclaimed.
I have given the Deputy Commissioner of Police commanding the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) strict instructions to investigate and prosecute any rape and defilement instances that have been reported in full compliance with State law. Every police division and formation in the state will remain intact, he promised.
Furthermore, it is the law that anyone can be detained and charged as an accessory after the fact if they approach the police to plead on behalf of a suspect in a rape or defilement case, regardless of their standing, title, or office. He cautioned that one cannot pretend to be a peacekeeper while simultaneously obstructing justice.
“Be vigilant, protect your children, and report any suspicion or incident immediately to the nearest police station or through the emergency lines made available on our Social Media platforms,” he encouraged parents. ‘If You See Something, Report It,’ he discouraged.