Court Remands Man, 32, For Attempting To kill Benue Commissioner

By Babatunde Solanke

A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court presided over by Mr Kelvin Mbanongun has remanded a 32 year-old man identified as Justine Yongu for allegedly attempting to kill Benue Commissioner for Power and Transport, Mr Omale Omale, in a correctional centre.

The suspect, who lives behind Mobile Barracks, Makurdi, the state capital, was charged with criminal conspiracy, assault occasioning harm, attempted culpable homicide and an act of terrorism.

When the case came up for hearing, Yongu did not take his plea for want of jurisdiction.

Magistrate Mbanongun, adjourned the case until March 27, for further mention.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Jonah Uletu, informed the court that the defendant committed the offences on Jan 1, at Daudu, venue of the primaries for Guma State Constituency’s bye election.

Uletu said that the State CID, Makurdi, received a distress call from the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Government House, CSP Bernard Adaka, that some hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons, and led by Yongu, had invaded the venue of the primaries.

Adaka informed the police that the hoodlums mercilessly beat up Omale, inflicted various degrees of injuries on him and he collapsed on the spot.

The prosecutor said following the information, men of Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, led by ASP Isah Yusuf, swiftly moved to the scene and arrested Yongu, while others fled the scene into a nearby bush.

Uletu said it was discovered during police investigation that Yongu and his gang members were notorious hoodlums, armed robbers and violent political thugs terrorising the people of Daudu and motorists on Makurdi-Lafia road.

He said that their criminal antecedents had caused untold hardships to the inhabitants of Guma, Makurdi, and the state at large.

Uletu, who said the offences contravened sections 97, 266, 230 of the Penal Code of Benue 2004, added that the offences also contravened Section 4(2) of the abduction, hostage taking, kidnapping, secret cult and similar activities prohibition law of Benue, 2017.