A senior lecturer with the Benue State Polytechnic in Ugbokolo was on Sunday evening gunned down by unidentified people at Eke section of Otukpo – Enugu road in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The deceased lecturer, whose name was given as Adah Echobu Chris, popularly referred to as, “The Bull”, was allegedly attacked by the unknown gunmen suspected to be armed robbers while returning to his base in Ugbokolo from Eke, a nearby rural community.
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Witnesses said that the lecturer was driving in his car when the armed men accosted him and shot him to death.
The development sparked a protest on Monday by youths of the community who blocked the road for several hours and demanded that security be beefed up in the area.
A resident of the area, who declined to be named on print, told our correspondent by telephone that the section of the road (Eke – Ugbokolo) had become notorious for robbery activities, stressing that there had been several instances where people were either killed or robbed at gunpoint in the area.
The resident, who expressed worry over records of ugly incidences around the area despite its closeness to a police outpost, also alleged that the information that ‘bad guys’ had been attacking that axis was never taken seriously by the police.
He said it was based on that the people blocked the road to demand an immediate change or deployment of new policemen to Okpokwu, adding that the area commander should be changed with another disciplined officer.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, said she had not yet received any report on the matter.
“I have sent messages to the DPO of the area and awaiting a response,” Anene said.
