PDP chieftain Bemgba Iortyom survived a violent ambush in Makurdi where armed hoodlums set his vehicle ablaze shortly after his appointment to a key media role within the party.
Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former State Publicity Secretary in Benue State, narrowly escaped death on Friday night after being ambushed by five armed hoodlums along George Akume Way in Makurdi. The attack, which occurred just hours after Iortyom’s appointment as the party’s Media and Public Communications Consultant, resulted in the complete destruction of his Peugeot 406 salon car by fire. Recounting the ordeal, Iortyom explained that the attackers, who were armed with short axes and arrived on motorcycles, blocked his path as he attempted to pull over to make a phone call.
“I give God Almighty the glory for quick thinking which enabled me to act fast by opening the door of my car and running away before the hoodlums poured fuel on the car and set it ablaze,” he said, noting that onlookers could do little but urge him to run for safety. Prior to the assault, Iortyom had issued a pointed critique of the state government, asserting that “the state must be rescued from certain crash and destruction at the hands of a governor who took the steering wheel of leadership without even a learner’s permit.” Following the incident, which has been reported to the “E Division” of the State Police Command, Iortyom warned of rising political tension, stating, “Security agencies whose allegiance is to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not to any individual or group, must rise to their duty and guarantee the safety of citizens before people are left with no choice but to resort to self-help.”
NEWS NOW:
