A former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG), Prof. David Salifu, has died from gunshot wounds sustained during an attack by suspected gunmen along the Wukari–Joota Road in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, a border corridor between Benue and Taraba states.
Salifu, a Professor of Public Administration and former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University Wukari, was reportedly on his way to Makurdi to attend the burial of his uncle when his vehicle came under attack.
He was shot in the stomach during the incident and was initially taken to a hospital in Wukari, where surgeons successfully removed the bullets lodged in his abdomen. He was later referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, for further medical attention but died around midnight on Thursday.
Confirming the incident, a former aide to the late professor, Mr. Ben Ekah, said Salifu had just left the Federal University Wukari with his driver when they were ambushed by armed men on the Wukari–Joota Road.
According to Ekah, the assailants intercepted the vehicle, forced Salifu out and attempted to abduct him before one of them opened fire.
“The driver narrated that they had departed the Federal University Wukari, where Prof. Salifu was a lecturer, when they ran into the attackers on the border road linking Taraba and Benue states,” he said.
“The gunmen dragged him out of the vehicle and appeared determined to take him away. As he repeatedly asked what they wanted from him, one of the attackers suddenly produced a firearm and shot him at close range in the stomach.
“After shooting him, they fled the scene, leaving him critically wounded. His driver managed to rush him back to Wukari, where doctors performed surgery and removed the bullets. He was later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi, but sadly he did not survive,” he said.
Ekah described the deceased as a humble, peaceful and dedicated academic whose death had left colleagues, family members and associates devastated.
He explained that Salifu had excused himself from an ongoing Senate meeting at the Federal University Wukari to travel for his uncle’s funeral.
“The university management was holding a Senate meeting, but he obtained permission to leave because he wanted to attend his uncle’s burial in Benue. It is painful because he was widely known as a peace-loving man who committed himself to teaching and public service,” he said.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached at the time of filing this report.