December 05, (THEWILL) – Benue State Police Command has intensified efforts to rescue the abducted Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ekpe Ogbu and three others, by unidentified gunmen.
In a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Sewuese Anene, the command said, on December 4, 2022, at about 1820hrs while police officers were on patrol, they sighted a vehicle parked by a forest area along Adankari village, Otukpo-Ado road.
Anene said shortly after the vehicle was recovered, information was received that the Benue State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ekpe Ogbu, who had travelled to Utonkon, in Ado Local Government Area for burial, was travelling back with three other persons through the same route and was no longer reachable.
According to Anene, immediately, police teams were deployed in search of the victims.
“The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Wale Abass, who visited the scene for on-the-spot assessment, has identified a new route linking the forest to the highway and emplaced adequate security on the road to forestall further occurrences.”
The PPRO noted that while interacting with Adankari community members, the CP requested them to volunteer information to the police to assist them in the ongoing operation.
The CP also visited the victim’s family members and assured them of his commitment to rescuing the Commissioner and others held hostage.
Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom, who was at Oju Local Government Area, to attend the senatorial campaign flag-off of Senator Abba Moro, was said to have visited the residence of Ekpe Ogbu, who is a member of the Benue State Executive Council.
The Oturkpo-Enugu road is notorious for cult, robbery and kidnapping activities, with the recent adoption of a Chief lecturer at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, while other victims were killed by yet-to-be-known assassins in the area.
About the Author
