Suspected hoodlums have killed the chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Fiidi Council Ward, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Igbu Terhemen.
Terhemen was reportedly attacked and found unconscious in a bush close to his residence around the NNPC Depot, along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, on the outskirts of Makurdi, on Wednesday.
A friend of the deceased, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Terhemen left his residence on Tuesday evening to watch a local football match in the Kanshio area.
According to the source, his family and friends became concerned when he failed to return home.
“He left home to watch the match Tuesday evening, and he was expected back home, but nobody saw him. It was while people were looking around for him that he was discovered around 2am Wednesday in a bush near his residence, unconscious,” the source said.
The source said Terhemen died before he could receive medical attention.
He added that his attackers did not take his mobile phone, which was found on him when his body was taken to the morgue.
The source also claimed that a needle-like injury was found on Terhemen's body, raising suspicion that he might have been injected with an unknown substance before being abandoned.
“All that is left for the police to uncover in the course of their investigation, because this is a sad development in the state,” the source said.
The NDC Benue State chapter condemned the killing, describing Terhemen as a committed member who made significant contributions to the growth of the party in the state.
In a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, Agile Bem, on Wednesday, the party said Terhemen was allegedly tied with ropes, injected with substances suspected to be poisonous and abandoned near his residence.
The statement said he was later discovered in an almost unconscious state and was unable to speak or communicate before his death.
“The Nigeria Democratic Congress, Benue State chapter, has condemned the gruesome murder of Hon. Igbu Terhemen, who, until his death, was the NDC chairman of Fiidi Council Ward in Makurdi Local Government Area,” the statement said.
The state chairman of the party, Ohini Ojegbe, described the incident as a “broad-daylight evil” and called on security agencies to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding Terhemen's death.
Ojegbe urged the authorities to identify and arrest those responsible and ensure that they were prosecuted.
The party said Terhemen was “a committed and dedicated party member whose contributions to the growth of the NDC would be greatly missed, particularly at a time when his service and commitment were most needed.”
However, the Benue State Police Command said it had not received a report concerning the incident as of Wednesday.
The command's spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the police were yet to receive an official report on the alleged killing.
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