Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident to journalists on Tuesday in Makurdi.
The Gboko residence of a former Governor of Benue State, the late Aper Aku, has been burnt by yet-to-be-identified arsonists.
If not for the quick intervention and rescue of the occupants of the house by the police, the attack which occurred on Monday would have consumed all those living on the property.
Six occupants of the house were safely rescued and evacuated before the hoodlums burnt the house, the daughter of the late governor, Deborah Aku told journalists in Makurdi.
According to DailyTrust, she narrated that trouble began in March after a man came to the house with a cutlass and threatened them. The man reportedly said that he was told that his goat died after drinking water from their house.
Aku said her mother reported the incident to the police division in Gboko and the matter was later taken to court.
She said unfortunately, trouble started again when some hoodlums besieged their house between 7 am and 8 am on Monday, trapped all six occupants, and began to destroy properties.
“The incident started between 7 am and 8 am on Monday. They came around and didn’t talk to anyone numbering over 30.
“When we noticed that their visit was not friendly, we locked all the doors and called the police,” she explained.
She added that “before police could arrive, they started destroying the house, killed our dog, broke into the pig house, and carted away all the pigs. They also destroyed our mother’s car.
“The police arrived and were able to rescue us out of the house,” she said. “We left with the police with only what we were putting on. While we were on our way with the police, the house was burnt with everything inside. The police came in two trucks but the boys were many and even attacked them too.
“Yesterday (Monday) when the incident happened the police were only able to rescue us out of the house before it was burnt down. If not for them we would have probably been burnt inside the house. There were six inside the house.
“We are waiting for the police to carry out their investigations. We have also reported the matter to all the relevant authorities including the governor and Speaker because this is his constituency,” she narrated.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident to journalists on Tuesday in Makurdi.
Anene, however, said she did not have further details at the time of filing this report.
In a similar development, the Senior Special Assistant to Benue Governor on Youth Mobilization and Empowerment, Mkeenem Moses, has condemned the attack on the residence of Aku, the first civilian governor of the state.
He decried the destruction of properties worth millions of naira, describing the act as unacceptable.
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