Police arrest soldier over killing of youth in Benue

Benue State Police Command has arrested a soldier over the extrajudicial killing of a youth at Dangote Cement Plant, Gboko, on Monday.

The Area Commander of the Police Area Command, Gboko, Edmund Afraimu, confirmed the arrest of the soldier.

The soldier is among the military personnel drafted to guard the Dangote Cement Plant in Gboko.

DAILY POST gathered that the young man was shot dead through the back screen of his car on Monday by a soldier identified as Aboy Bonny.

The soldier who allegedly carried out the act has been arrested and is in police custody, but the motive for the killing is yet to be ascertained.

According to an eyewitness, Terhemba, who gave an account of the incident that occurred between 6 and 7 a.m., the deceased was on his way to work when he saw some soldiers in an open truck chasing after the youth who was in a red Toyota Carina 2.

He said that one of the soldiers opened fire, causing the car to veer off the road into a nearby farm. The young man slumped out of the driver’s seat and fell dead on the spot.

According to him, as of 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Monday, when passersby arrived at the scene, the body was still lying beside the open door of the Toyota Carina 2 with registration number AE 625 MGB.

The crowd that gathered at the scene saw members of the deceased’s family wailing.

Some youths from the area carried the corpse on a Bajaj motorcycle between two young men and went in protest to the factory.

The irate crowd smashed the windscreen of some vehicles parked around the entrance of the company in protest.

The body of the slain young man was laid at the entrance to the administrative block.

It took the intervention of the Chairman of Gboko Local Government Council, Verlumun Var and the community leaders to calm the situation.

The President of the Jemgbagh Development Association, Prince Yandev Amaabai, the President of the Yion Development Association, Orver Yongu, His Royal Highnesses Mue Ter Gboko Ikpa Ahua, Anum Iho, and Igba Tsegba, after a closed-door meeting with the management of the company, appealed to the protesters to calm down and allow the elders and community leaders to handle the situation.

When contacted, the Plant Director, Louise Raj, expressed frustration with the activities of the military personnel stationed at the factory site.

Mr Raj said that the soldiers posted at the factory were not answerable to the management and did not heed their instructions or advice.

Similarly, many villagers who spoke to newsmen complained about the highhandedness of the soldiers at the factory.

A youth leader, Sachia Jov, said the soldiers mount roadblocks on roads leading to the villages and extort passersby.