PDP media consultant escapes attack as hoodlums set car ablaze in Makurdi

By Johnson Arua

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, narrowly escaped death on Friday night after suspected hoodlums attacked him and set his car on fire in Makurdi, the state capital.

The incident occurred just hours after Iortyom publicly announced his appointment as Consultant on Media and Public Communications to the PDP in Benue State.

The former two-time State Publicity Secretary had called on party stakeholders to support him in his new role, which he described as part of the effort to reclaim power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The state must be rescued from certain crash and destruction at the hands of a governor who took the steering wheel of leadership without even a learner’s permit, not to talk of a driver’s licence qualifying him for the job of steering the state’s affairs safely,” Iortyom said in a statement announcing his appointment.

“This is the task I have accepted to contribute to in my capacity as Consultant to the PDP on Media and Public Communications,” he added.

Narrating his ordeal, Iortyom said the attack occurred along George Akume Way in central Makurdi while he was attempting to pull off the road to make a phone call.

“I was attacked by unknown persons at about 8pm, and though I managed to escape, my car, a Peugeot 406 salon, was set ablaze and burnt to ashes,” he said.

According to him, the attackers, numbering about five, came on two motorcycles and blocked his path. “They were armed with short axes and descended on me just as I was clearing the road to park and make a phone call,” he said.

“I give God Almighty the glory for quick thinking which enabled me to act fast by opening the door of my car and running away before the hoodlums poured fuel on the car and set it ablaze.

"They then mounted their bikes and went away as my shouts and calls for help yielded nothing, with onlookers witnessing the scene without anything to do other than urging me to run to safety,” he added.

Iortyom said he had reported the incident to the "E Division" of the State Police Command, where investigations are ongoing. He also linked the attack to the growing climate of political tension in the state.

“Security agencies whose allegiance is to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not to any individual or group, must rise to their duty and guarantee the safety of citizens before people are left with no choice but to resort to self-help and a descent into lawlessness,” he said.

Attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, for comment were unsuccessful at press time.