Unidentified gunmen, on Monday, assassinated a prominent Idoma politician and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Ejeh Udeh.
New Telegraph gathered that the politician was attacked in the early hours of Monday at about 11 pm at his residence in Ugboju.
Witnesses said the assailants, who stormed the area on motorcycles, ambushed Udeh as he entered his compound and shot him at close range.
His body has been deposited at the Otukpo morgue.
Hon. Udeh, reported to be the brother of a former local government chairman, was a well-known political figure in the Idoma land.
The killing plunged Ugboju and the wider Otukpo community into mourning, with residents describing his death as a devastating loss.
Although the Otukpo local government chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, had confirmed the death of Udeh, the state Police Command kept mum when New Telegraph put a call to its spokesperson, Udeme Edet, to obtain details on the matter.
But confirming the incident, Ogiri said, “Yes, Hon. Ejeh Udeh was murdered. We don’t know the reasons for his murder, whether remote or immediate. But we can only say that his murderers were determined; they followed him to his house after he came back from a hangout with some friends and associates.
“The assailants came at about 11 pm, and it was raining seriously at that time. People were indoors. It was the sound of gunshots that attracted people.
“He entered his house alone, parked his car and went to his house, and they began to fire from a distance, got closer to him and then finished him off.
“I went to the scene in the company of the DSS boss and other heads of security agencies, and they promised to expand their dragnet to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.
“But the gruesome murder of Ejeh has cast a dark shadow in our community because he is a well-known figure, a community leader, an opinion moulder and also a chieftain of the APC in Otukpo local government area”.
