Suspected Hoodlums Kill NDC Ward Chairman In Benue

The chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Fiidi Council Ward, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Igbu Terhemen, has reportedly been killed by suspected hoodlums.

Terhemen reportedly left his residence on Tuesday evening to watch a local football match in the Kanshio area of Makurdi but did not return home.

His disappearance later triggered a search by family members and friends who became worried after they could not locate him.

A friend of the deceased, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the search ended around 2am on Wednesday when Terhemen was found unconscious in a bush close to his residence.

The location was near the NNPC Depot along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, on the outskirts of Makurdi.

The friend said Terhemen died before he could receive medical attention.

“When he did not return, family members and friends became worried and subsequently began searching for him,” the friend said.

“He left home to watch the match on 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 on Wednesday in a bush near his residence, unconscious.”

According to the source, Terhemen’s attackers did not take his mobile phone, which remained with him and was later found when his body was taken to the morgue.

The friend also claimed that the deceased had a needle-like injury on his body, raising suspicion that his attackers may have injected him with an unknown substance before abandoning him.

He said the circumstances surrounding the death required a thorough investigation by the police.

The Benue State chapter of the NDC has condemned the killing and called on security agencies to establish what happened.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Agile Bem, described Terhemen as a committed member whose contributions to the organisation were significant.

The party alleged that suspected hoodlums tied Terhemen with ropes, injected him with substances suspected to be poisonous and abandoned him near his residence.

The NDC said residents later found him in an almost unconscious state and that he could neither speak nor communicate before his death.

The party’s state chairman, Ohini Ojegbe, described the incident as a “broad-daylight evil” and called for an immediate investigation.

Ojegbe urged security authorities to identify and arrest those responsible for the alleged attack.

He also called for the prosecution of anyone found culpable after the investigation.

The NDC mourned Terhemen as a dedicated member who contributed to the growth of the party.

It said his death had deprived the organisation of a committed grassroots operative at a time when his service remained important.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command said it had not received a report concerning the alleged killing.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the police were not aware of the incident when contacted.

The circumstances surrounding Terhemen’s death therefore remain unclear, with the alleged attack yet to receive official confirmation from the police.