The abduction took place when Terwase Orbunde, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, visited his farm near the Genocide Cemetery along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, Benue State’s capital, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Abigail Orbunde, and their housemaid, Patience Ogute.
An eyewitness, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned that the attack occurred around 6 pm on Friday.
According to the witness, “After inspecting the work, five armed men suddenly assaulted Orbunde, his wife, and the housemaid at the farm near Mobile Barracks/Welfare Quarters in Makurdi.
“The gunmen fired shots, injuring Orbunde, and then demanded that he and the women accompany them to an undisclosed location.”
The gunfire caused panic among villagers and passersby, forcing them to scatter in different directions.
Another witness, observing from a distance, mentioned that the gunmen directed the victims along a path but left Orbunde behind, as he was too injured to keep up.
“Upon abandoning the man, the armed men then took the women away to an unknown place, while kind-hearted individuals helped transport Orbunde to the hospital,” the witness added.
Tahav Argezua, Orbunde’s close associate and media consultant, confirmed the incident on his Facebook profile.
In response to inquiries, Catherine Anene, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, verified the occurrence.
“Yes, it’s a factual event; the DPO overseeing the area has briefed me about it,” Anene stated in a phone conversation on Saturday.