David Salifu, former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG) and lecturer at the Federal University, Wukari, was assassinated by suspected bandits on Thursday, July 2, 2026, along the Wukari-Makurdi road. He died early Friday morning at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi.
Details of the Attack
Salifu was traveling from Wukari to Makurdi when armed men forced his vehicle to stop at the outskirts of Wukari. The assailants ordered him to step out and board a motorcycle. When he resisted, they opened fire, critically wounding him.
He was initially rushed to a teaching hospital in Wukari, but the severity of his injuries prompted the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wukari to dispatch an ambulance with a medical team to transport him to Abuja. However, he was taken instead to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, where he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of July 3. The reason for the diversion to Makurdi remains unclear.
Confirmation and Reactions
David Olofu, the African Democratic Congress senatorial candidate for Benue South and a close associate of the deceased, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview on Friday. “He was a member of my campaign council and a confidant. I learnt that he left Wukari and was coming to Benue when he encountered hoodlums at the outskirts of Wukari,” Olofu said. “They stopped his car and asked him to come down but the bandits thereafter shot him. He was taken to the teaching hospital in Wukari but due to the seriousness of the injury, we spoke to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wukari who released an ambulance to bring him to Abuja with a team of doctors. But somehow, he was taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi where he died early hours of today,” he added.
Background of the Victim
Salifu served as SSG under former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam. He was also a lecturer at the Federal University, Wukari, in Taraba State. His assassination has sent shockwaves through the political and academic communities in the region.
The Taraba State Police Command had not responded to requests for comment at the time this report was filed. The incident highlights the ongoing security challenges in the North Central region of Nigeria, where banditry and armed attacks have become increasingly common.
