Breaking: Ex-SSG of Benue Assassinated as Details Emerge
- Suspected bandits attacked former Benue State SSG David Salifu along the Wukari-Makurdi road on Thursday
- Assailants ordered Salifu out of his vehicle and shot him after he resisted their instructions
- Salifu died in the early hours of Friday at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi
David Salifu, a former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG) and lecturer at the Federal University, Wukari, died on Friday, July 3, after being shot by suspected bandits who intercepted his vehicle along the Wukari-Makurdi road.
Salifu served as SSG under former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam. He was travelling from Wukari to Makurdi on Thursday, July 2, when armed men forced his vehicle to a stop at the outskirts of Wukari, according to sources.
Source: Twitter
How David Salifu was reportedly killed
The attackers instructed him to step out of his car and board a motorcycle. When he resisted, they opened fire on him, Daily Trust reported.
He was initially rushed to a teaching hospital in Wukari, but the severity of his injuries prompted the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wukari to dispatch an ambulance along with a medical team to transport him to Abuja.
He was ultimately taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, where he passed away in the early hours of Friday morning, July 3.
The reasons he was taken to Makurdi rather than Abuja remain unclear.
David Olofu, the African Democratic Congress' Benue South senatorial candidate and a close associate of the deceased, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview on Friday, July 3, Leadership reported.
"He was a member of my campaign council and a confidant. I learnt that he left Wukari and was coming to Benue when he encountered hoodlums at the outskirts of Wukari," Olofu said.
"They stopped his car and asked him to come down but the bandits thereafter shot him. He was taken to the teaching hospital in Wukari but due to the seriousness of the injury, we spoke to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wukari who released an ambulance to bring him to Abuja with a team of doctors. But somehow, he was taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi where he died early hours of today," he added.
The Taraba State Police Command had not responded to requests for comment at the time this report was filed.
Plateau traditional ruler killed
Previously, Legit.ng reported that a traditional ruler of Timshat in Langtang South local government area of Plateau state, Godwin Vonga, had been killed by suspected gunmen along the Timshat–Mabudi Road, sparking fresh concerns over insecurity in the region.
The monarch, who previously served as a councillor for Nasarawa Ward, was reportedly attacked on Sunday while returning home after dropping his children off at school in Mabudi.
Source: Legit.ng
