by Chi Ibe
Gunmen today in Makurdi killed Denen Igbana, who was Senior Special Assistant on Security to Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue. He was killed in the early hours of the day at his Tionsha residence.
According to the leader of the community Thomas Ayakpam, the community was awakened at about 2:30 a.m. by gunshots.
After the gunshots died down, he said, he heard the deceased pleading with his attackers to spare his life.
“I heard him say, “So, Ghana, after all that that we have done together, you can look me in the face and kill me in this manner'”
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Paul Yakadi, said the police were already “nosing around to fish out possible suspects”.
Visiting the family of the deceased, the governor promised that the killers will be punished.
Calling the deceased one of his “most trusted and dependable appointees”, he revealed that Igana had informed him of the threat to kidnap him and had requested funds to carry out perimeter fencing of his house.
He revealed that Igbana was instrumental to the continued success of the amnesty programme in the state that led to the surrender of arms by criminal gangs.
