A 41-year-old farmer, Akember Ikpior, has been remanded in a correctional centre by a Makurdi Magistrates Court. The remand is in connection with an alleged attempt to kill another farmer, Azenda Ikyor.
Ikpior, a resident of Adeke Village in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue, has been charged with criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide.
Mrs. Ada Jack, the magistrate, adjourned the case until Oct. 9 for further mention as she did not take Ikpior’s plea due to lack of jurisdiction.
According to Inspector James Ewaoche, the prosecution counsel, the case was reported to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Makurdi on July 14. Ikpior himself lodged the complaint through a petition addressed to the Benue State Commissioner of Police.
Ewaoche explained that the petitioner claimed he was attacked by armed men on his farm behind Welfare Quarters in Makurdi on June 20. At the time, he was working alongside Isaac Kumafan.
He added that Ikpior identified one of the armed men, who he believes is the suspect in this case. The suspect allegedly pursued him with a gun, fired at him but missed, and the petitioner managed to escape.
During the course of the police investigation, the suspect was arrested and an empty shell of an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the crime scene.
According to the prosecutor, other members of the gang involved in the incident are still at large. The charges filed against Ikpior contravene sections 97 and 230 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue 2004.