The Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Fiidi Council Ward, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Igbu Job Terhemen, has been killed following an attack by unknown assailants in Makurdi.
Terhemen was found unconscious in a bush near his residence around the NNPC Depot along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, on the outskirts of the Benue State capital, in the early hours of Wednesday, September 30, 2026. He later died following the attack.
According to information provided by a friend of the deceased, Terhemen had left his residence on Tuesday evening to watch a local football match around the Kanshio axis of Makurdi.
He was expected to return home after the match but failed to do so, prompting concern among members of his family and friends.
A search was subsequently launched for him.
Terhemen was eventually discovered at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday in a bush close to his residence around the NNPC Depot area.
He was unconscious when he was found and died before he could receive medical attention, according to the account given by his friend.
The friend said Terhemen's mobile phone was still with him when his body was later taken to the mortuary.
The source also reported observing what appeared to be a needle-like injury on his body.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress in Benue State subsequently issued a statement condemning the killing and providing additional details about the circumstances in which its ward chairman was found.
The statement was issued by the party's State Publicity Secretary, Agile Bem.
According to the NDC, Terhemen was attacked by suspected hoodlums who allegedly tied him with ropes before injecting him with a substance suspected to be poisonous.
The party said the attackers subsequently abandoned him near his residence around the NNPC Depot along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road.
“He was later found in an almost unconscious state and was reportedly unable to speak or communicate with anyone before he eventually passed away,” the party said in its statement.
The exact substance allegedly administered to Terhemen has not been medically identified in the information made public so far.
The NDC's account therefore remains that he was injected with a substance suspected to be poisonous during the attack.
The party condemned the killing and demanded immediate action by security agencies to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Benue State NDC Chairman, Ohini Ojegbe, described the killing as a “broad-daylight evil” and called for an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Terhemen's death.
Ojegbe urged security agencies to identify the perpetrators, arrest them and ensure that they are brought before the law.
The NDC also paid tribute to Terhemen, describing him as a committed and dedicated party member who contributed to the growth of the organisation in Benue State.
The party said his death had deprived it of his service at a time when his contribution and commitment were needed.
It extended condolences to Terhemen's immediate family, members of the Fiidi community and the wider NDC family in Benue State.
The party also prayed for his family to receive the strength to bear the loss.
Terhemen served as the NDC Chairman for Fiidi Council Ward in Makurdi Local Government Area until his death.
Fiidi is one of the council wards within Makurdi LGA, which contains the Benue State capital and serves as a major political and administrative centre in the state.
As ward chairman, Terhemen occupied a grassroots leadership position within the party's structure.
The killing has now prompted the party to demand that investigators establish who attacked him and the motive behind the assault.
The circumstances reported by his friend and the NDC indicate that Terhemen disappeared after leaving home on Tuesday evening and was found hours later in a critical condition.
His phone remaining in his possession after the attack is among the details investigators may consider while establishing the circumstances surrounding his death.
No motive for the killing has been officially announced.
There is also no confirmed information identifying the attackers or establishing whether Terhemen was targeted because of his political activities, a personal matter or another reason.
The NDC has consequently concentrated its public response on demanding an investigation and the arrest of those responsible rather than announcing a motive for the attack.
The Benue State Police Command had not received a formal report of the incident when journalists initially contacted the command.
Police Public Relations Officer DSP Peter Aondongu told Vanguard that the command was yet to receive a report concerning the killing at the time he was contacted.
The development means further information from the police is expected as the circumstances surrounding Terhemen's death are formally investigated.
The party's account of the alleged use of an unidentified substance will also require examination as authorities establish what happened to the deceased between the time he left his residence and when he was discovered.
Several Nigerian news organisations have separately reported the killing based on accounts from the deceased's associates and the statement released by the NDC.
Punch reported that Terhemen left home for the football match on Tuesday evening before his family and friends began searching after he failed to return.
Vanguard similarly reported that he was discovered unconscious near his residence before eventually dying.
Daily Trust also reported that Terhemen was found unable to speak or communicate following the attack.
The NDC has described the incident as a major loss to its organisation and the Fiidi community.
Its demand now centres on a security investigation capable of identifying the people who attacked its ward chairman.
The killing adds another case requiring investigation by security agencies in Benue State, where political parties and community organisations continue to demand protection for residents and accountability when violent crimes occur.
For Terhemen's family, the investigation will be important in establishing what happened after he left home on Tuesday evening.
Available information shows that he left his residence to watch a football match in Kanshio, failed to return as expected and was later discovered unconscious near the NNPC Depot axis of Makurdi.
The NDC says he had been tied and injected with a suspected poisonous substance before being abandoned.
His friend also reported observing a needle-like injury while noting that his mobile phone remained with him.
Those details form part of the available accounts surrounding his death.
Security authorities will be responsible for establishing the identities of the attackers and the circumstances that led to the killing.
As of the latest information available, no arrest had been publicly announced in connection with the attack.
The NDC has urged the relevant agencies to act quickly and ensure that anyone found responsible is prosecuted.
Terhemen's death leaves the Fiidi Council Ward branch of the NDC without the chairman who headed its local structure.
The party says his contribution will be greatly missed and has joined his family and community in mourning him while calling for justice.
The immediate focus is now on the investigation into the killing, the identification of the unknown assailants and the establishment of the motive behind an attack that left a ward-level political leader dead in the Benue State capital.
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