The Benue State Police Command has taken action to seal off the All Progressives Congress (APC) State secretariat in Makurdi. The force intervened to prevent the scheduled political meeting led by Mr. Austin Agada and his executives, slated for Friday, March 1 and 3, 2024.

The meeting, organized by the APC executives with selected stakeholders and the newly appointed Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Executive Director of Housing, Finance, and Accounts, Dr. Matthias Byuan, was halted by the police. The State Police Command, through a letter signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Samuel Gimba, advised Mr. Agada to call off the meetings.

This action follows an earlier directive from Governor Hyacinth Alia, communicated through his Chief of Staff, Paul Biam, which imposed a ban on all political gatherings in the state due to the volatile security situation. Governor Alia cited concerns about the influx of armed herdsmen and the escalating security tension in the state.

In response to the governor’s directive, the police urged Mr. Agada to suspend all political meetings until further notice. As a result, the State Secretariat of the APC, located on J S Tarka Road in Makurdi, was sealed off by police personnel early Friday morning, with strict security measures in place to control access to the premises.