Anxiety as PDP publicity secretary lands in DSS custody

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has been thrown in disarray as its publicity secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, was said to be in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).

Hon. Adzua Ashongo, the PDP chairman of Benue North East (Zone A), disclosed the development in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, October 17, in Makurdi, the state capital, TVC reported.

How DSS details PDP spokesperson in Benue State

According to the PDP Chairman, the party's publicity secretary was invited over what was described as a chat with the state director of the secret police. PAY

Ashongo, in the statement, said that the reason why the secret police invited the PDP chieftain was not stated. He added that he and some stakeholders in the PDP accompanied the publicity secretary of the party to honour the invitation of the secret police.

He narrated that an official of the DSS named Danlami Imam, who he said was in charge of the political desk of the secret police, received them. He further stressed that Imam returned to ask them to leave so that it would not look like Iortyom was being detained.

Details of PDP spokesperson in DSS custody in Benue State

According to Ashongo, Imam called them 20 minutes after they arrived at the party's secretarial that the DSS director was not available in whicht they honoured they call.

He said they arrived at the office of the DSS for the second time on Monday and two officials, claiming to be from the director, came and took the PDP spokesperson away.

According to him, the officials resisted their move to accompany Iortyom to the director's office, claiming that it was only the PDP spokesperson that was invited.

His statement partly reads: “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."