Former Benue SSG David Salifu Dies After Gunmen Attack on Wukari–Makurdi Highway

Former Secretary to the Benue State Government, David Salifu, has died from gunshot injuries sustained during an attack by suspected armed men along the Wukari–Makurdi highway.

Salifu, who served under former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and was a lecturer at Federal University Wukari, was reportedly attacked on Thursday while travelling from Wukari to Makurdi.

According to sources, the assailants intercepted his vehicle and allegedly ordered him to alight and board a motorcycle. When he reportedly resisted or questioned the directive, the gunmen opened fire, leaving him critically wounded.

Confirming the incident on Friday, a close associate of the deceased and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Benue South Senatorial candidate, David Olofu, said Salifu died in the early hours of Friday at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

Olofu described the late Salifu as a trusted ally and a member of his campaign council.

He explained that the former SSG was initially rushed to a teaching hospital in Wukari for emergency treatment before arrangements were made to transfer him to Abuja for advanced medical care. According to Olofu, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Wukari provided an ambulance and medical team to facilitate the transfer.

However, Salifu was instead taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, where he later died from his injuries. The reason for the change in destination from Abuja to Makurdi has not been disclosed.

As of the time of filing this report, the Taraba State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the attack, while efforts to obtain comments from the command were unsuccessful.

The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks reported along the Wukari–Makurdi highway, a major route linking Taraba and Benue states.