Benue youths protest against kidnap of 74-year-old mother of House of Reps-elect

THERE was pandemonium at the weekend along Gboko- Katsina-Ala highway as youths in Buruku Local Council of Benue State blocked the highway for many hours in protest against the abduction of the 74- year-old-mother of the House of Representatives-elect member, Orker Jev.

The Guardian learnt from a passenger who was stranded because of the protest/roadblock at Tyowanye that the youths planned to keep the road closed to traffic until the abductors of Mama Nmuese Orker Jev release her.

Leader of the protesting youths, Mr Felix Udoji, who spoke with The Guardian on phone, said they blocked the road as early 9:00 am to draw government’s attention to the incident because the aged woman did nothing wrong to deserve abduction. Udoji maintained that the son of the victim, Rt.

Hon. Jev provided many communities in the constituency with boreholes and constructed primary school structures in all the wards when he served as House of Representatives member between 2007 and 2015.

He added that youths in the area have also benefitted from Mr Jev’s scholarship scheme and many other welfare packages even as he exonerated Hon. Jev from having hands in the protest. “We are calling on whoever has kidnapped Orker Jev’s mother to release her, if not, traffic would be blocked throughout the night,” Udoji added.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Austin Ezeani, expressed displeasure saying: “If what you are saying is true, are the youths not adding more to the problems of the people by blocking the road?”

He however, said the police is intensifying their search for those that abducted the mother of the lawmaker, urging the youths to use their good judgment to clear off the road and to stop compounding the problems of the community.

Some unknown gunmen kidnapped the septuagenarian last Tuesday at her country home, in Tombo, Buruku Local Council of Benue state and sources from the family said no communication has been opened between the kidnappers and the family up till now.