Five Benue lawmakers ran into gunmen, escape death by whiskers

Five members of Benue State House of Assembly have escaped death by the whiskers on Thursday night on their way from an official engagement.

A statement which was issued by the Chairman House Committee on Information and Orientation, Elias Audu, and obtained by CAPITAL POST on Friday, indicated that the lawmakers ran into the scene of attack at a village situated 16 Kilometers distance from Makurdi, the state capital.

The members were in Katsina-Ala earlier on Thursday for a public hearing on a bill for a law to provide for the establishment of Benue State Civil Protection Guards.

They ran into the attackers at about 10.00pm at Tyomu village.

The witnesses said the gunmen earlier launched an attack on the villagers before spreading to motorists plying the route.

One of the affected lawmakers, Saater Tiseer, who is Majority Leader of the House, told our correspondent in Makurdi that they ran into the scene of attack while returning from an official assignment in Gboko.

The statement explained that the attackers numbering more than 40 on motorcycles ambushed the lawmakers at Tyo-mu and shot severally at the vehicles conveying them.

The names of the affected lawmakers were revealed to include; Majority Leader, Saater Tiseer, Chief Whip, Ipusu Bemdoo, the member representing Logo constituency, Samuel Jiji, his counterpart of Mata constituency, Simon Gabo and Cephas Dyaku.

Audu regretted that residents of Tyo-mu community and Mbakera have been under attack for several days, emphasising the need for security operatives to rescue them.