A former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG), Prof. David Salifu, has died from gunshot injuries sustained during an attack by suspected gunmen along the Wukari–Joota Road in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, a border route linking 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 travelling to Makurdi to attend the burial of his uncle when his vehicle was ambushed.
According to sources, the attackers intercepted the vehicle, forced the former SSG out and attempted to abduct him before one of the gunmen shot him in the stomach at close range.
He was initially rushed to a hospital in Wukari, where doctors successfully removed the bullets lodged in his abdomen. He was later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, for further treatment but died around midnight on Thursday.
Confirming the incident, a former aide to the deceased, Ben Ekah, said Salifu and his driver had just departed the Federal University Wukari when they encountered the armed men on the Wukari–Joota Road.
According to Ekah, the gunmen dragged the professor out of the vehicle and appeared intent on abducting him.
“The driver narrated that they had left the Federal University Wukari, where Prof. Salifu was a lecturer, when they ran into the attackers on the border road between Taraba and Benue states,” he said.
“They pulled 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 gun and shot him in the stomach before they fled the scene.”
Ekah said the victim was immediately taken back to Wukari for emergency surgery before being referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
He described the late professor as a humble, peaceful and dedicated academic whose death has left family members, colleagues and associates in mourning.
According to him, Salifu had obtained permission to leave an ongoing Senate meeting at the Federal University Wukari to attend his uncle’s burial in Benue State.
“The university management was holding a Senate meeting, but he sought permission to leave because he wanted to attend his uncle’s funeral. It is heartbreaking because he was widely known as a peace-loving man who devoted his life to teaching and public service,” Ekah added.
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.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over the persistent insecurity along the Benue–Taraba border, where travellers have repeatedly come under attack by armed criminal groups.
