Gboko residents raise alarm over whereabouts of LG chairman

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Residents of Gboko, the headquarters of the Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, have raised an alarm regarding the whereabouts of the council chairman, Abraham Agber.

The residents claim that the caretaker chairman’s location has been unknown since last Friday when some men in police uniform stormed the hotel where he was lodging and took him away.

A resident of the ancient town, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, stated that family, friends, and residents of the town were confused as they had not received information about the council chairman since his abduction last Friday.

One resident, who preferred not to be mentioned, recounted, “Some policemen besieged Winika Hotel at about 11 pm on Friday, January 12, and went straight to his room, taking him away.”

The resident, pointing accusatory fingers at the speaker of the state assembly, Dajoh Hyacinth, said, “It’s our belief that the speaker was behind the chairman’s arrest.”

The Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Dajoh Hyacinth, confirmed on Tuesday that the council chairman was indeed arrested from the force headquarters in Abuja but absolved himself of any involvement in the arrest.

Speaking to newsmen on the phone, the speaker stated that he had no power to order the arrest of the council chairman. He explained that there was intelligence linking the chairman to a plot against him.

Dajoh clarified, “There is a sitting governor and an acting (deputy) governor, so does the speaker have the power to arrest the council chairman without the governor giving the order?

“Even at that, you people should know there’s something significant (grievous) before. There was intelligence from force headquarters that I should be assassinated.

“The governor and IG (Inspector General of Police) are aware of it. It is not new to me; I didn’t report him anywhere. There is a conversation between him (the council chairman) and someone, and the IG informed the governor of what was happening in his state.

“It’s established, and I was informed of what was happening around me. They would have done it without me knowing. Even the CP (Commissioner of Police) called me to provide more men, but I said I am okay with the ones I have.”

The speaker mentioned that he had been invited to Abuja for interrogation, stating, “Yes, I will be going to Abuja on Thursday, where the council chairman has been taken. They said I should come.”

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