By Amos Aar
THE Benue State Police Command on Monday arrested Sgt. James Aondona in connection with the alleged killing of one Mr Aondohemba Terkula, a trailer driver in Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue State; the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police (SP). Catherine Anene, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that on 26th June, 2022 at about 1230hrs, Sgt. James Aondona was properly briefed on his schedule of duty and posted to an observation point at Ngibo, Kastina-Ala LGA. He decided to engage in an altercation with Mr. Aondohumba Terkula. (the deceased) which led to loss of life. The corpse has been deposited at General Hospital, Kastina-Ala”, the statement reads in part.
It added that the Benue State Commissioner of Police (CP). Wale Abass, condemned the unprofessional conduct of the officer and ordered that further investigation be carried out. He assured Benue people that justice will be served as disciplinary procedure had commenced for onward prosecution.
National Record gathered that the trailer driver was said to have been stopped by the police personnel who had mounted a road block in Anyiin in Logo LGA which shares boundary with Katsina-Ala and had demanded him to pay them N3,000.
The deceased driver, an eyewitness told our correspondent, had told the officers that since he didn’t have a full truck load, he could afford to give them only N1,500.
According to the eyewitness, it was in the course of the argument over the driver’s refusal to pay the police N3,000 that Sgt. Aondona shot and killed the trailer driver.
Following the killing, angry trailer drivers protested by blocking Anyiin road halting traffic in and out of Logo LGA.
