Many Injured, 20 Vehicles Damaged As Benue PDP Primary Turns Bloody

At least 10 persons sustained severe injuries while over 20 vehicles were badly damaged on Thursday night during the Benue South senatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party held at the Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi, the state capital.

A Punch correspondent, who monitored the situation, observed that thugs barricaded the entrance to the stadium, where the primary was held.

The senatorial primary had earlier been scheduled to hold in Otukpo, but couldn’t hold after allegations of falsification of the delegates’ list – a development that prompted the electoral committee members to shift the venue of the exercise.

However, trouble started on Thursday night when the accreditation of delegates was ongoing and some persons protested against the list of delegates from the Ohimini Local Government Area.

At this point, some suspected thugs who were supporters of some aspirants started hauling stones at the delegates, a development that forced the security operatives to shoot into the air to disperse the crowd.

But some of the hoodlums, who were also armed, responded with gunshots, leading to violence.

The hoodlums then destroyed some of the facilities at the stadium, injured over 10 persons and destroyed more than 20 cars, while delegates, as well as journalists, scampered for safety.

A team of policemen in four Toyota Hilux pick-up vans were later seen driving into the venue to stop the violence.