Gunmen Shoot Ortom’s Chief Of Staff, Abduct Wife, House Help

Benue State Police Command has confirmed an attack on the families of Terwase Orbunde, the former chief of staff to the immediate past Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom by armed men suspected to be herdsmen in the farm and his wife and house help whisked away to an unknown destination.

The state’s Police spokesperson, Sewuese Anene who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP Sunday said, the command got a report yesterday evening from the former chief of staff himself that he was attacked on his farm in the evening and his wife and house helped were whisked away by the armed men to an unknown destination.

According to the PPRO, the complainant Orbunde was seen with a wound on the hand but she did not know whether the wound was obtained through a gunshot.

Our correspondent gathered from a close family source that the attack took place close to the Genocide Cemetery along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the state capital on  Friday, April 12, at about 6pm.

The family source who do not want his name in print explained that the former chief of staff escaped with a gunshot wound on his right arm while the attackers whisked away his wife Kashimana Orbunde, and her house help, Patience Ogute.

The source explained that Orbunde, his wife and house help, had gone to inspect the weeding of their farm located close to the road at the cemetery.

In a telephone conversation, an eyewitness told our correspondent that after the inspection of the farm and payment of workers, unknown gunmen numbering about five suddenly appeared and attacked the victims as they walked back to their car.

“As  the victims walked to their car, the gunmen opened fire and shot Orbunde on the right arm and ordered him, the wife and house help to follow them to an unknown destination,” the source said.

The shooting was said to have caused villagers and passersby to scamper for safety in different directions.

As the victims followed them, the former chief of staff was said to be bleeding profusely and unable to walk quickly.

Eyewitnesses who were watching from a distance said the leader of the group ordered him to walk away while the gunmen took the women to an unknown destination and a ‘good Samaritan’ who arrived the scene conveyed Orbunde to the hospital.

The abductors have allegedly demanded a N100 million ransom for the release of the Orbundes. A close ally of Terwase Orbunde, Tahav Argezua disclosed this to newsmen.

Argezua and Orbunde were aides to the former governor as special adviser on Publicity and chief of staff respectively.