By Peter Duru

MAKURDI— The bitter rivalry that exist among Benue politicians took a turn for the worst midweek when six armed men stormed the home of a Peoples Democratic Party PDP stalwart Comrade Johnson Awua, shooting sporadically with the intent to kill him.

Excapes death by the whiskers

Comrade Awua, who is the coordinator of the Senator Joseph Akaagerger campaign organization in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State, told newsmen that he escaped death by the whiskers after the shootout pleading that the State Police command step up its surveillance of the state.

Narrating the incident, the former trade unionist disclosed that some armed men at about 10:45 pm stormed his home in Gboko and shot sporadically after having forced their way into his premises but when they couldn’t gain entrance into his living house they beat a retreat.

Awua stated that the same gang attacked his home four hours later, gained entrance into the house shooting and demanding his whereabout.

According to him, “this time they found their way into the house and started shooting sporadically; they went to the kitchen and my son’s room searching for me, but because the door to the parlour was locked with iron burglary proof they could not get to the parlour where my family  and I had assembled.”

He added, “At this time they suggested burning my campaign vehicle while another reminded the gang that their mission was to eliminate me to stop the campaign organization from moving forward, but since they could not locate me they rushed out of my house,” he said.

Comrade Awua who informed that he has reported the matter to the police and other security agencies urged the State police Command to wade into the matter with a view to arresting the brains behind the act.

Adding his voice to the development, leader of the PDP in the state, Lt. Col. Sunday Labar (rtd) decried the alarming rate at which political aspirants in the district use political thugs to assault opponents in a bid to gain political power.

He warned that the attack on Comrade Awua and others would compel other politicians to embark on a revenge mission that could snowball into a devastating political crisis in the state advising that security agencies take proactive measures to arrest the situation.