By Daniel Aondoaseer Zendesha 

A former Secretary to the Benue State Government, Prof. David Salifu, has died after suspected armed bandits shot him during an ambush along the Wukari-Makurdi road on Thursday. Salifu, who also lectured at the Federal University, Wukari, succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Friday at a Makurdi hospital, prompting condolences from the state government and political associates.

Prof. David Salifu, a former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG) and a Professor of Public Administration at the Federal University, Wukari, was travelling from Wukari to Makurdi on Thursday, July 2, 2026, when armed men suspected to be bandits intercepted his vehicle on the outskirts of Wukari. According to accounts from associates, the attackers ordered him out of the vehicle and instructed him to board a motorcycle; he was shot after questioning or resisting their directive. He was rushed for emergency treatment before being moved to Makurdi, where he died in the early hours of Friday.

Salifu served as SSG during the administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam. Multiple accounts describe him as a former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University, Wukari, and a scholar known for work on governance, public policy, rural development, and conflict management. He remained politically active in Benue South, including as a member of a senatorial campaign council.

The killing adds to growing concern over insecurity along the Wukari-Makurdi road, a route that straddles the Taraba-Benue border and has seen repeated incidents of kidnapping and armed robbery in recent months.

In a statement issued on behalf of Governor Alia, the Secretary to the State Government, Deborah Aber, described Salifu as a public servant who served with "uncommon diligence, integrity and intellectual distinction" and extended condolences to the Salifu family, the academic community, and "all who knew him."

Salifu's death follows a pattern of attacks on travelers along this border route and comes amid a broader security discussion in Benue State around highway safety and rural banditry.