‘Soldiers’ kill revenue staff in Benue

The Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) has allegedly fingered the involvement of soldiers in the killing of one of its staff, Sixtus Terfa Akure.

Akure, according to a statement signed by the board’s Chairman, Chief Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, and made available to newsmen on Monday in Makurdi, was whisked away on Saturday night by suspected military personnel.

The statement added that the dead body of Akure was found early hours of Sunday by the roadside in the North Bank suburb of Makurdi.

“I have received with deep shock and pain, the sad news of the brutal murder of one of my staff, Sixtus Terfa Akure, who until his death was a Senior Inspector of Taxes.

“Unconfirmed sources indicate that the late Sixtus was whisked away last night by military personnel in what has become a regular occurrence and his mangled body was found early hours of today (Sunday) around Aper Aku Estate by the roadside,” the BIRS chairman stated.

She condemned the manner in which the staff died and offered the board’s deepest condolences to the immediate family of the young man who in her estimation paid the supreme price in service to the state.

Efforts to get the reaction of the 401 Special Forces Brigade, stationed at the North Bank area in Makurdi where the incident happened did not yield result at the time of sending this report as its Public Relations Officer, Captain Gutus’, telephone couldn’t be reached as neither the message sent to him was replied.

But, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO for Benue Command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed that the information had been received of a homicide case involving one Terfa Akure at North Bank, Makurdi.

Anene said, “Investigation is in progress.”