Attack: PDP Chieftain Escapes Death As Gunmen Burn Car In Makurdi

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, narrowly escaped death on Friday night after suspected hoodlums attacked him and set his car ablaze in Makurdi, the state capital.

The incident occurred just hours after Iortyom announced his appointment as Consultant on Media and Public Communications to the PDP in the state.
Iortyom, a former two-term State Publicity Secretary of the party, had earlier urged PDP stakeholders to support him in his new role, which he said was part of efforts to reclaim power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In the statement announcing his appointment, he criticised the leadership of the state government, saying Benue must be “rescued from certain crash and destruction at the hands of a governor who took the steering wheel of leadership without even a learner’s permit.”

He added that contributing to the effort to reclaim the state was the responsibility he had accepted in his new capacity as consultant on media and public communications.

.Recounting the attack, Iortyom said the incident happened around 8 p.m. along George Akume Way in Makurdi while he was trying to pull off the road to make a phone call.

“I was attacked by unknown persons at about 8pm. Though I managed to escape, my car, a Peugeot 406 saloon, was set ablaze and completely burnt,” he said.

According to him, about five attackers arrived on two motorcycles, blocked his path, and advanced toward him armed with short axes.

“Because I was trying to park to make a phone call, they blocked my path and descended on me,” he said.

“I thank God for quick thinking which enabled me to open the door of the car and run away before the hoodlums poured fuel on it and set it ablaze.”

He said the attackers fled on their motorcycles after the incident, while bystanders at the scene could only urge him to run to safety.

Iortyom said he had reported the matter to the “E Division” of the Benue State Police Command and that investigations were ongoing.

He also warned that the attack reflected the growing political tension in the state and called on security agencies to uphold their constitutional responsibility to protect citizens.

“Security agencies whose allegiance is to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not to any individual or group, must rise to their duty and guarantee the safety of citizens,” he said.