Centus Nweze Reporting
Soldiers allegedly belonging to the 401 Brigade, Makurdi in the early hours of Saturday beat Hon Kpam Sopko, the House of Representatives (HoR) member for Buruku Federal Constituency of Benue state to a pulp.
According to the HoR member, who spoke with newsmen on phone, one of the soldiers among those that assaulted him also threatened to kill him.
The soldiers that numbered over 30 came in two armoured vehicles and a truck to Old Barn, hotel, Gboko, belonging to Mike Aondoakaa, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, where they assaulted the lawmaker.
However, the spokesman for the group Captain Okezie said he was not aware of the incident, but promised to ascertain the report and get back to us.
Truthlive News gathered that the soldiers had stormed Old Barn between 2am and 3am on Saturday morning under the suspicion that weapons were hidden in the hotel to be used to disrupt or rig the governorship and houses of assembly elections in the area.
According to an eye witness who would not want his name in print, “Yesterday,
between 2am and 3am soldiers came and surrounded Old Barn and were breaking into the hotel rooms.
“They were searching room after room. They will knock on a customer’s door and when the customer does not open their doors to them, they forced it open.
“They (soldiers) eventually had an encounter with Hon Kpam Sopko, the HoR member from Buruku, who is of the Labour Party (LP). They beat him up mercilessly and left him severely injured.
“The soldiers claimed that they got intelligence report that guns and other dangerous weapons were brought into the hotel to be used to disrupt and possibly rig the election.
“The soldiers who were numbering over 30 came to the hotel in 2 armoured vehicles and a military truck.”
Also confirming the incident, Kpam Sopko said, “I dont know what came over them. They came to the Old Barn, where I was staying in Gboko around 2:30am in about five trucks filled with over 60 soldiers. I sat there with some of my friends.
“When they alighted from their vehicles just took position. I got up from where I was sitting to do something and one of them approached me and asked why I was walking in the manner I was walking.
“And as I was replying him, he slapped me in the face. I asked why he did that and introduced myself as a House of Representatives member. I told him he does not know me and just slapped the me in the face?
“Before I knew what was happening more than 30 of them pounced on me using the butt of their guns to injured me. Some of the guns they used on me even broke in pieces. As I speak with you I have stitches on my face, on my head and I have all kinds of injuries on my body.
“While this was going on, their Commanding Officer came in and calmed the situation a bit. Shortly after they went on to harrass me and collected everything in my car including every piece of paper.
“The one who started assaulting me threatened that he could even kill me. I did not get their names becaue they removed their name tags before assaulting me.
“Believe me, I do not know why they did this to me. I have gone to the hospital to stitch the cuts and treat myself, but I have reported the matter to the Police and the Security Adviser to the Governor of Benue State”, he stated.
It was further learnt that at the time of the incident, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Tony Ijoho was also lodged in the hotel. End.