The Journalists in Benue state have been thrown into mourning following the death of Tordue Salem, an Abuja-based journalist of Benue origin, who worked with the Vanguard newspaper.
Late Salem went missing last month and was reportedly found dead, last Thursday.
The journalists who described his death as shocking, sad and heart wrecking decried the height of insecurity in the country and called on the security agencies to find the perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to book.
Speaking to The Next Edition in Makurdi, the Vice President of NUJ, Zone D, Mr. Kris Atsaka who expressed deep sadness over his demise said his death shows that the security agency are not able to proactively tackle insecurity in the country.
“It is quite sad and regretable. Tomorrow (Saturday) would have made it exactly one month when Tordue Salem went missing and this has left his immediate family in so much agony.
“His colleagues, particularly at the FCT council, have been on the matter. They had addressed a World press conference in the first week when this happened and by the second week, they went on a protest march to the force headquarters where they presented a letter of protest to the Inspector General of Police, formally registering a complaint, asking the police authorities to, as a matter of urgency, intensify search and find Tordue Salem in good condition and return him to his family alive.
“This is almost two weeks after the march only for his corpse to be found. It is quite sad. This shows that security agencies are not able to proactively tackle insecurity in this country.
“With other security challenges we are having ranging from terrorism, agitations among others, it means that citizens and journalists, in particular, because of the work they do, are not generally secured.
This is not good. For Salem to disappear only to be found dead,
means that citizens generally are not well protected and it is very sad,” Atsaka lamented.
“As a person, I am deeply touched and saddened and as a zone, Zone D, comprising all North Central States, we condemn this act in totality and we call on the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book and above all to be more proactive to prevent this kind of occurrence in the future,” Atsaka said on phone.
Other journalists also took to the state NUJ Whatsapp group page to mourn his sudden death.
“My God. May his innocent, kind, hardworking and gentle soul found favour with the Lord. May the Almighty God lead us into finding and bringing the evil people to book, and give his family, friends, colleagues and associates the fortitude to bear the painful and irreparable loss. AMEN,” Mr. Kundushima Akaa wrote.
READ ALSO: Gunmen Attack Mourners At Wake Keep In Benue, Kill Four, Injure Others
“Most unfortunate. So sad indeed! May his soul rest in peace,” Emmanuel Aben also said.
“May it never be well with the perpetrators of this wicked acts,” Rose Onjefu wrote.
“This is sad. Most painful. Rest on my in-law,” Mr. Kajo Martins said among others.
Meanwhile, State Governor Samuel Ortom, on behalf of the Benue State Government, has expressed shock over the circumstances surrounding the death of Tordue Salem who was declared missing a few weeks ago.
The Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, said he was pained how the former Vanguard reporter suddenly disappeared and found dead by unidentified persons in an undisclosed location in Abuja.
He said such a mysterious recovery of the body of the deceased reporter was suspicious and deserves to be thoroughly investigated.
The Governor appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS) and other sister agencies to do everything possible to unravel the mystery surrounding the gruesome murder of the Benue-born journalist.
Governor Ortom reiterated that the Benue State Government is always committed to the safety of all her citizens both at home and in the diaspora and will not rest on its oars to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous act do not go unpunished.
