Former Secretary to the Benue State Government, SSG, Professor David Salifu, has died after sustaining gunshot injuries in an attack by suspected bandits along the outskirts of Wukari in Taraba State, North-East Nigeria.
Salifu, a lecturer at the Federal University Wukari, was reportedly travelling to Makurdi on Thursday when his vehicle was ambushed by armed men along the Wukari area.
According to sources, the attackers intercepted his vehicle and allegedly ordered him to alight and accompany them on a motorcycle to their camp. Salifu was reportedly shot after questioning the attackers’ directive.
Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Military Operation Whirl Stroke in a statement by the acting media information officer, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu said there are indicators that a bandit they killed may have been part of the gang that attacked commuters on July 1, 2026 which included the former Benue SSG who suffered gunshot injury.
He said following a swift response to credible intelligence on kidnapping activities at Jotar village, near the Quarantine Checkpoint, on July 2, 2026 troops acted promptly on the intelligence received at Kyado and immediately mobilised to the suspected location to prevent the criminals from carrying out their activities.
He said on arrival, the troops made contact with the armed kidnappers, resulting in a fierce exchange of fire with one terrorist neutralised. Zubairu said troops recovered one AK-47 rifle and two empty magazines from the scene.
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The Force Commander, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, Major-General Moses Gara, charged troops to sustain aggressive fighting patrols and maintain pressure on criminal elements to ensure they are denied freedom of action throughout their joint operations area.
The Force Commander also applauded other security agencies for their continued collaboration and intelligence sharing, describing inter-agency cooperation as critical to achieving lasting peace and security.
He urged all security stakeholders to remain united in the collective effort to restore lasting peace, stability and tranquillity across the Operation Whirl Stroke Joint Operations Area.
Operation Whirl Stroke reaffirmed its commitment to protecting law-abiding citizens and encouraged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring them that all useful intelligence would be treated with utmost confidentiality and acted upon promptly.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
