The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the attack on Terwase Orbunde, former Chief of Staff to former Governor Samuel Ortom, during which his wife, Kashimana, and their maid, Patience Ogute were abducted in Makurdi.
Orbunde was shot in the arm, while his wife and maid were abducted by the unnamed gunmen suspected to be armed herdsmen on Friday, April 12, 2024, on his farm.
LEADERSHIP reports that the gunmen have reached out to the family, making a demand of N100 million as a condition to free the kidnapped persons, or risk being killed.
Reacting to the incident, the Benue State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Bemgba Iortym in a statement, urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to spare no effort towards securing the freedom of the abducted persons unhurt.
The PDP “condemns this dastardly act in the strongest possible terms lamenting that it further highlights the worsening state of insecurity in the state, as it is now tragically obvious that no one is safe anywhere in Benue, including in Makurdi the state capital city.”
The party also called on Governor Alia to deploy the security vote at his disposal, and the right level of political will to tackle the menace of insecurity in the state “which is arrow-headed by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen and bandits.”
The party further charged the governor to provide the desperately needed logistical support to security agencies in the state to strengthen their hand towards enforcing the ban on the 2017 Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law being flagrantly violated by armed herdsmen and also curb the activities of bandits.
While PDP praying for the safe return of Mrs. Orbunde and Ogute, the opposition party urged Governor Alia to spare no effort towards securing their freedom in hale and sound condition.