Rose Ejembi Makurdi
There was tension in Vandeikya area of Benue State on Monday following a disagreement between some officials of the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) and some military personnel said to have come from Katsina Ala.
The incident which was reported to be kidnap incident of five BIRS personnel has now been discovered not to be kidnapping but a disagreement between the soldiers and the revenue collectors.
An eye witness who gave his name as Joseph Paul said the military personnel were conveying some tubers of yam that were bought by a top Military officer from Katsina-Ala towards Cross Rivers when they encountered the BIRS officials on the way.
He said trouble started when the BIRS attempted to seize the tubers yam from the soldiers following a little disagreement and the military guys resisted the move.
“In the ensuing milieu, about five of the BIRS officials were arrested and taken away by the soldiers who headed towards Katsina Ala but we don’t know where they took them to. We are afraid they may have been kidnapped.”
Efforts by our Correspondent to confirm the report from both the 72 Battalion in Makurdi and the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) failed.
However, a military personnel who did not want to be named disclosed that the matter had been resolved and that the five persons that were earlier arrested by the soldiers during the encounter had all been released.
