The battle for the soul of Benue South senatorial district may have assumed a new dimension as police escorts attached to the Deputy Governor of the State, Engr. Benson Abounu are allegedly under the orders of the deputy governor to periodically fire shots into the residence of former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
According to eyewitness reports, Engr. Abounu has asked his security attachè to always aim at the residence of the former Senate President, Senator David Mark with rains of bullets every time his convoy drives past the former Senate President’s residence.
The reports also have it that Senator Mark’s family house at Eupi, Otukpo, which is adjacent a Police post has also witnessed the sparodic shootings by the Deputy Governor’s men.
One of the occupants of the Eupi residence disclosed to our reporter on Saturday that “the convoy of the Deputy Governor passed through the area in the morning, heading towards the Otukpo roundabout and on reaching the spot (by the house) his security aides opened fire and shot sporadically into the air in the manner that suggested an armed robbery operation.
“On returning in the evening, the Deputy Governor’s convoy slowed down again at the Eupi residence of Senator Mark’s family and opened fire in an unprofessional manner, causing the participants at a stakeholder’s meeting to scamper for their lives”.
Another respondent who gave his name as Jerome Oche confirmed to our reporter that he heard gunshots on Sunday morning at the front of David Mark’s family residence in Eupi and was wondering what could it be.
“When I peeped through my window I saw black jeeps with police escorts. I didn’t know who were the occupants of the convoy until this evening while we were sitting outside the gate and we saw Daniel Onjeh’s campaign train returning from Adoka and on reaching same spot in Eupi, in front of us, the Police Escorts who were following the deputy Governor’s jeep open fire again “, Jerome disclosed.
In a related development, the Police Authority in Otukpo Division has also received the report with strong evidences of the stray bullets rained at Senator Mark’s residence, Otukpo by the Deputy Governor’s men Sunday night.
In a statement entered by a family member, “the police escorts of Engr. Abounu opened fire on reaching the gate where the security men and visitors of Senator Mark were, at about 10.55 pm shooting into the compound.”
According to the report, the last batch of entrants narrowly missed the stray bullets which were also picked and exhibited at the Police Division by the complainant.
The report of the deputy Governor’s excesses is coming on the heels of the Saturday’s rerun poll between Senator David Mark of the PDP and Comrade Daniel Onjeh of the APC and the Deputy Governor has vowed to do everything possible to extinct Senator Mark’s political career.
Efforts to reach the Deputy Governor, Engr. Abounu for comments did not yield any results at the time of filing this report.
It would be recalled that the Deputy Governor had last month during the APC flag off in Otukpo granted an interview in a cable television, Idoma TV where he openly said they would not contest the election but would rather “snatch it” from the former Senate President.
The State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC was also quoted recently as saying “if Senator Mark wants, let him win the election in 7 out of the 9 LGAs but no returning Officer born of woman will dare declare him winner”.
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