Benue NDC Chairman Found Dead After Nighttime Attack
The chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Fiidi Council Ward, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Igbu Terhemen, has died after he was reportedly attacked and abandoned in a bush close to his home.
Terhemen reportedly left his residence on Tuesday evening to watch a local football match around the Kanshio area of Makurdi. When he failed to return later that night, relatives and friends became concerned and began looking for him.
He was eventually found at about 2am on Wednesday in a bush near the NNPC Depot along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, not far from his residence.
A friend of the deceased, who spoke anonymously, said Terhemen was discovered unconscious and in a condition that prevented him from speaking or communicating with those who found him.
The friend said efforts to get him medical attention were unsuccessful as he died before he could receive treatment.
According to the source, Terhemen still had his mobile phone with him when he was taken to the morgue, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The source also claimed that a needle-like injury was noticed on his body, leading to suspicion that an unknown substance may have been administered to him. However, the nature of the substance and the circumstances of the injury have not been established.
The Benue State chapter of the NDC has described the incident as a serious attack and called for an investigation to determine exactly what happened to its ward chairman.
In a statement issued by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Agile Bem, the NDC alleged that Terhemen had been tied up, injected with a substance suspected to be poisonous and abandoned near his residence.
The party said he was found in an almost unconscious condition and could no longer communicate before his death.
NDC State Chairman Ohini Ojegbe condemned the killing and urged security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding Terhemen’s death.
Ojegbe called for those responsible to be identified and prosecuted if found culpable, stressing that the matter should not be left unresolved.
The party also mourned Terhemen as a committed member whose work within its structure in Benue State would be missed.
The circumstances of the death remain unclear, with no official account yet establishing the identity of the attackers or their motive.
The Benue State Police Command also said it had not received a formal report concerning the incident at the time of reporting.
Police spokesperson DSP Peter Aondongu stated that the command was yet to receive a report, leaving the circumstances surrounding Terhemen’s death awaiting formal investigation.
The incident has consequently left his family, associates and members of the NDC seeking answers over how the ward chairman came to be found critically injured in a bush after leaving home to watch a football match.
