Former Secretary to the Benue State Government, David Salifu, has died after suffering gunshot wounds during an attack by suspected bandits along the Wukari–Makurdi road.
Salifu, who served as SSG under the administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, was also a lecturer at the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State.
According to sources, the former government official was travelling from Wukari to Makurdi on Thursday when his vehicle was intercepted by suspected armed bandits.
The attackers reportedly ordered him to step out of his vehicle and board a motorcycle.
However, after questioning their directive, Salifu was allegedly shot by the assailants.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with Newsmen on Friday, a close associate of the deceased and the African Democratic Congress’ Benue South senatorial candidate, David Olofu, said Salifu died in the early hours of Friday at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
“He was a member of my campaign council and a confidant. I learnt that he (Salifu) left Wukari and was coming to Benue when he encountered hoodlums at the outskirts of Wukari.
“They stopped his car and asked him to come down but the bandits thereafter shot him.
“He was taken to the teaching hospital in Wukari but due to the seriousness of the injury, we spoke to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wukari who released an ambulance to bring him to Abuja with a team of doctors.
“But somehow, he was taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi where he died early hours of today,” Olofu said.
The circumstances surrounding why Salifu was taken to Makurdi instead of Abuja could not be immediately ascertained.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Taraba State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
