SAN FRANCISCO, February 01, (THEWILL) –
Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue state has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on Gboko following the killing of seven persons by irate youths in Gboko area of Benue State.
According to the statement issued by the Media Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Tahav Argezua, the government said that the curfew would last from 6pm to 6am from January 31 till further notice adding that those exempted from the curfew are those on essential services such as medical personnel as well as those who could provide convincing identification.
THEWILL recalls that the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, had on Wednesday, while briefing newsmen in his office, disclosed the killings saying the victims were said to be travelling either to Okene in Kogi State or Taraba State when criminals attacked, killed and burnt them to ashes.
Owoseni added that policemen in the town promptly raced to the scene of incident but lamented that the criminals also attacked the patrol vehicle of the police.
“We got information around 11am this morning that some hoodlums believed to be of Tiv stock between 9.30am and 10.am stormed a garage in Gboko where they attacked seven people believed to be of Fulani extraction, killed and burnt them,” he stated.
“The passengers were said to be in the park where they were trying to board a commercial vehicle to Okene or Taraba. The police in the area of the attack got information and rushed to the place but the criminals embarked on hurling stones at the police.”
Owoseni revealed that some people had been arrested and were helping the police with useful information insisting that the crisis did not have any ethnic, religion or political coloration but was pure banditry.
“To me, this will further escalate the security challenges that we are facing in the state, it is necessary to emphasize that the police will not hesitate to deal decisively with criminal elements who want to take advantage of the situation,” Owoseni said.
