..APC absolves self

By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—Benue State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has raised concerned over the murder of six of its chieftains in  the state, and called on security agencies and Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration to unravel the masterminds of the heinous crime.

However, in a swift reaction, the All Progressives Congress, APC in a statement by state chairman, Comrade Abba Yaro, absolved itself  of the killings and blamed internal wrangling in the opposition party for the development.

Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Godwin Ayihe, lamented in a statement  that  the heinous crimes against his party members had so as far gone largely unchecked as security agencies had no tangible evidence of arrests of perpetrators of the crimes.

He said:  “It is, therefore, unacceptable to leaders of the PDP that six of our top members have been murdered in cold blood while security agencies seem to have no answers to the situation.

“It is, therefore, our call on Governor Samuel Ortom to take deliberate step to tackle the prevailing security challenges in the state which appear to be worsening with the killings which goes uncovered, thereby engendering a heightening state of insecurity in the state.

“We make this call amid the state of panic which is beginning to descend on members of our party who can rightly be said to have a genuine reason to fear for their safety in the face of the killings of fellow party men, especially as security agencies fail to bring the killers to book and stop the ugly trend.’’

Vanguard recalls that the last few weeks witnessed the killings of chieftains of the PDP in Benue State, including elder statesman, Atoza Ihindan, who was murder in a bizarre circumstance and till date, there had been no clue as to the masterminds of the killings.

Meanwhile, APC chairman in the state, Comrade Abba Yaro, said in a statement issued yesterday in Makurdi:   “I wish to state clearly that our party does not deploy, condone or approve assassination or any manner of killings or violence in its politicking.

“On the other hand, it is the PDP that has been known for violence in the 16 years that it held sway in the affairs of the country.’’