Benue MACBAN chairman shot dead

The Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State, Ardo Risku Muhammad, is dead.

Muhammad was killed alongside his associate, Yakubu Isah, in an ambush at Okwudu in Otukpo Local Government Area of state.

Eldest son of the deceased chairman, Muhammad Idris, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Makurdi, said the victims were returning from a meeting they attended in Ohimini LGA when they came under attack at exactly 2:00pm.

Idris said the meeting was reportedly convened by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ohimini LGA and that his father had attended the meeting alongside his associate and friend, Isah before the attack occurred.

He alleged that the attackers who ambushed the victims along the Okwudu axis, killed them on the spot.

Chairman of Ohimini LGA, Gabriel Adole, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent in Makurdi, said the peace meeting was conveyed between herders and community members who earlier complained about the activities of herders in their area.

Adole said the meeting was fruitful and that the deceased left, noting that unfortunately Muhammad was killed within Otukpo LGA alongside his associate.

Also, the Chairman of Otukpo, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed that the incident happened in his locality, and that tension had heightened in the area.

Ogiri, however, appealed for calm, saying everything is being done to ensure peace in the area.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Benue, DSP Udeme Edet, also confirmed the killing.