Benue SSG dies after gun injuries from bandits

Former Secretary to the Benue State Government, David Salifu, has died after sustaining gunshot injuries in an attack by suspected bandits along the Wukari-Makurdi road. Salifu, who served as SSG during the administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, was also a lecturer at the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State. Sources told The PUNCH that the former SSG was travelling from Wukari to Makurdi on Thursday when he encountered armed men who stopped his vehicle. The sources sad assailants reportedly ordered him to alight from his vehicle and mount a motorcycle but allegedly shot him after he challenged them. Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Friday, a close associate of the deceased and the African Democratic Congress’ Benue South senatorial candidate, David Olofu, said Salifu died in the early hours of Friday at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi. “He was a member of my campaign council and a confidant. I learnt that he (Salifu) left Wukari and was coming to Benue when he encountered hoodlums at the outskirts of Wukari. Related News Soldiers kill suspected kidnapper, recover firearm in Benue operation Delta approves 13th-month salary for workers, plans teacher recruitment APM gov candidate donates N2.5m to Oyo fire victims “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,” Olofu said. The circumstances surrounding why Salifu was taken to Makurdi instead of Abuja could not be immediately ascertained. Efforts to get the reaction of the Taraba State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. John Charles