A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Makurdi on Tuesday remanded one of the 23 newly sworn-in Benue State sole administrators and two others in prison custody on allegations of murder.
The accused, Mr. David Yiman who is the sole administrator of Buruku local government area and the two others would remain in prison until January 23, next year.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the two others remanded with the council sole administrator are Kosuvenyi Kungwa and Emmanuel Nyajo.
The FIR alleged that the suspects were arrested in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old lecturer of the department of Political Science, University of Mkar, one Aondosoo Wilfred Tondo, in August, this year.
It added that during police investigation, one Kosuvenyi Kungwa, Emmanuel Nyajo and David Yiman all males were arrested for conspiring with many others now at large to commit the crimes.
However, when the case was mentioned today, no plea was taken for want of jurisdiction as the police prosecuting officer, Hyacenth Mbakwor told the court that investigation was still in progress and asked for another date.
Meanwhile, the Counsel to the accused, Mr E.C. Tereve, did not oppose the application for adjournment as he maintained that he would apply for the bail of his client formally.
The Chief Magistrate, Isaac Ajim therefore adjourned the case to January, 23rd,
Our correspondent reported that the embattled sole administrator was inaugurated into office alongside other 22 barely two weeks ago on October, 11, by Governor Samuel Ortom.
The deceased lecturer, Wilfred Tersoo Tondo was killed on August 11 this year at his official resident within the University of Mkar in Gboko local government area of the state.
It was gathered that the late Tondo, a chairmanship aspirant on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) was shot around 4am while observing a Christian morning prayer with members of his family, thereby, fuelling suspicion that his death was politically motivated.
Daily Trust reported that on August 30, the police had also interrogated one currently serving commissioner in Ortom’s cabinet over the alleged murder following suspicion that he was not in good terms with the deceased who was said to have been a preferred candidate of power brokers in the Buruku area where both hailed from against the commissioner’s favourite candidate.
State commissioner of police, Bashir Makama had however earlier told our correspondent by telephone that the said commissioner was only invited then to the station but did not state the reason for the invitation.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)’s publicity secretary, Bemgba Iorytom, has however criticised the Ortom government, saying its appointees were characterised with murder suspects in just less than two years of coming to office, alleging that the commissioner was one of those at large as indicated in the FIR.
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