Justine Yongu, a 32-year-old resident of Makurdi behind Mobile Barracks, found himself facing serious charges in the Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court. He stands accused of attempting to murder the Benue Commissioner for Power and Transport, Barrister Omale Omale.Yongu was arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy, assault, attempted culpable homicide, and an act of terrorism. However, during the court proceedings, he refrained from entering a plea due to questions regarding the court’s jurisdiction.Chief Magistrate Kelvin Mbanongun presiding over the case adjourned it until March 27 for further mention.According to the Prosecutor, Inspector Jonah Uletu, the alleged offenses took place on January 1 at Daudu, the venue of the primaries for Guma 1 State Constituency’s bye-election. The State CID in Makurdi received a distress call from the Chief Security Officer of the Government House, Makurdi, CSP Bernard Adaka, reporting that armed hoodlums, led by Yongu, had stormed the primaries venue.The hoodlums reportedly attacked Omale, inflicting severe injuries that caused him to collapse on the spot. Police investigations revealed Yongu and his gang’s involvement in various criminal activities, including armed robbery and political violence in Daudu and along the Makurdi-Lafia Road.These acts of violence, as described by Uletu, violate sections 97, 266, and 230 of the Penal Code of Benue 2004, as well as Section 4(2) of the Benue State law on abduction, hostage-taking, kidnapping, secret cults, and similar activities, enacted in 2017.
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