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From Hir Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), in Benue state, has expressed worry over the whereabouts of it Publicity Secretary, Mr Bemgba Iortyom, who was invited by the Department of State Services (DSS) last Monday, October 16, 2023.
A statement signed by the Vice Chairman of the party, Benue North East (Zone A), Hon Azua Ashongo, said Mr Iortyom was called to the office of the DSS for a chat with the director.
According to him, the PDP Publicity Secretary who left at about 2.11pm on Monday was not seen even at about 6pm and as at the time of filing this report on Tuesday, a source who didn’t want to be named, said he had not been released.
The statement which was made available to newsmen in Makurdi, Monday night read, “Earlier today, (October 16, 2023), the Department of State Services (DSS) invited the Benue State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), for what was termed a chat with the State Director of the Service.
“Though the reason for the invitation was not stated, I, along with the Media Consultant of the party, C T Hwande and representative of the State Legal Adviser, accompanied Mr Iortyom to honour the invitation.
“We arrived at the DSS headquarters in Makurdi at exactly 12:47pm and were warmly received by one Danlami Imam, who we later discovered is in charge of the Political Desk of the Command.
“Ten minutes after our arrival, Mr Imam returned to us and asked us to leave as the Director who demanded for the invitation of the PDP Spokesman was busy with other official engagements and would not be seeing us immediately. He said he would not want to make it look like Bemgba Iortyom was being detained by the Service.
“We left the DSS premises and barely 20 minutes after we arrived the Party Secretariat, there was a call from the same Mr Imam requesting that we returned to the command headquarters, indicating that, the Director was now available and ready to meet with Mr Iortyom.
“Strange as this sounded, but as a law abiding citizen, Bemgba Iortyom drove back to the DSS headquarters, this time, the State Treasurer of the PDP, Philip Bem Gbe had joined us.
“As soon as we arrived, at about 2:11pm, two gentlemen walked up to us, claiming to be from the office of the Director and took Bemgba Iortyom away. All efforts by us to accompany him failed as we were told that only Bemgba Iortyom was invited by the Command.
“And up until 6:17pm when we were asked to leave the premises of the command this evening, the whereabouts of Mr Bemgba Iortyom were not known; neither were we told if he had been detained or not.
“And because we were not allowed access to him, one can not say, for sure, if his invitation was as a result of a petition written against him or a complaint from any quarter or better still, was in a friendly chat with the Commands Director.”
He noted further noted that “it is not common for the DSS to invite anyone without a reason, let alone, the Publicity Secretary of an opposition party, and someone in the quality of Bemgba Iortyom who fearlessly bares his mind as an opposition spokesperson and remains one of the most vocal voices against the administration of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC in Benue State.
“And with the recent remarks by the incumbent Governor Hyacinth Alia, it is difficult not to link him with this sudden invitation of Mr Iortyom by the DSS and his imminent detention,” the party said.
In a response, the Chief Press Secretary to the Benue state Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, denied that his boss may have a hand in Mr Iortyom sudden invitation and imminent detention.
Tersoo in a message said, “We have no hands in that o. We only read on Facebook that he was invited by the DSS.”
