Former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG), Prof. David Salifu, has died after reportedly sustaining gunshot injuries during an attack by suspected kidnappers.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Thursday in Wukari, Taraba State, while Prof. Salifu was travelling to Makurdi. 

He was said to have escaped from the assailants but suffered gunshot wounds during the attack.

He was rushed to a hospital in Makurdi for treatment but was later confirmed dead on Thursday night.

Further details surrounding the incident are still emerging, while authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the attack.

Efforts to reach Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, on the Benue Command were futile as she didn’t answer call.

Troops of Operation Enduring Peace, OPEP, have repelled suspected Fulani bandits during a rapid response operation following reports of sporadic gunfire around Banasu High Ground in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A statement post on its verified X handle on Friday said the incident occurred at about 1:52 p.m. on July 2, when troops of Sector 8, Sub-Sector 81, deployed at Gyambwas, received reports of intermittent shootings around the Banasu High Ground.

The Army said the planned attack was in response to previous attack on hardees and rustling of their livestock by Militia men in Mangu.

It added that acting swiftly on the distress report, the troops moved to the area and engaged the armed criminals in a firefight.

According to the statement, the superior firepower of the troops forced the assailants to abandon their mission and retreat towards the surrounding high ground.

*No casualties were reported among the troops during the encounter.

Troops have sustained surveillance and monitoring of the area, while efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent any further attacks.

“The operation forms part of ongoing security efforts by Operation Enduring Peace to prevent any armed militia activities and enhance security across Plateau State,” the statement said.

The Kano State Police Command has detained a suspect following the death of an unidentified man whose body was discovered inside an unoccupied house in the Badawa area of Kano State.

The deceased, believed to be about 28 years old, was found with a deep injury to his neck, which residents suspect led to his death before help could reach him.

A resident of the area, Yusuf Da’u Ibrahim, said the incident came to light after a neighbour alerted the ward head that a badly injured man was inside a vacant house and needed urgent help.

“Before emergency responders arrived, the police had already been informed. They quickly came to the scene, arrested a suspect and evacuated the body to the hospital,” Ibrahim said.

He added that residents did not recognise the victim and said it was the first time such an incident had occurred in the neighbourhood.

“We don’t know who the deceased is. This is the first time we have witnessed such a tragic incident in our community,” he said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Kano State Police Command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said he had not yet received a detailed report on the incident.

“I have not received the full report yet, but the command will investigate the matter to establish exactly what happened,” Kiyawa said.