Hoodlums have set ablaze the Gboko residence of the late Aper Aku, a former Benue State Governor.
According to Aku’s daughter, Deborah, the incident occurred on Monday, but fortunately, all the occupants of the residence were safely evacuated from the building.
Deborah addressed journalists in Makurdi, the state capital, and explained that the trouble began when a man arrived at the residence with a cutlass and threatened the occupants, claiming that his goat had died after drinking water from the house.
The situation escalated when a group of over 30 hoodlums besieged the house between 7am and 8am on Monday, trapping all six occupants inside.
Realizing that the visitors were not friendly, the occupants locked all the doors and immediately called the Police for help.
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However, before the Police could arrive, the hoodlums started destroying the house, even killing the family’s dog and breaking into the pig house to steal all the pigs.
They also vandalized their mother’s car. Eventually, the Police arrived and were able to rescue the family, but unfortunately, the house was already engulfed in flames, burning everything inside.
The Police, despite their efforts, were outnumbered by the hoodlums and even faced attacks themselves.
Deborah expressed her gratitude to the Police for rescuing them in time, as they could have been trapped inside the burning house.
She mentioned that they left the house with only the clothes they were wearing, losing all their belongings in the fire.
The family is now awaiting the Police’s investigation into the incident and has reported the matter to the relevant authorities, including the governor and Speaker, as the incident occurred in the governor’s constituency.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident but did not provide further details at the time.
