By Emmanuel Obisue
An embattled Benue indigene has exposed how a former Federal House of Representatives Member, Hon. Emmanuel Memga Udende, planted two AK-47 riffles in the trunk of his car, and has since been victimizing him with threats to his life.
According to the source who spoke to The Heritage Times on condition of anonymity, Hon. Udende who represented Ukum/Katsina Ala/Logo Federal Constituency in the eight National Assembly, had begged him to help him steal ballot boxes during the last Senatorial District elections in the state.
The source who is from the same Local Government Area with the former legislator, added that after they met, Hon. Udende invited him in, where he made the offer to him and promised to give him protective cover while he disrupts the electoral process in his favour.
“I was in a meeting with one of his boys. You know politics, it’s how they do. He said he has riffles that they will use to protect me so that I can be stealing boxes to enable him win the election, I said ok. So when I came to the house he asked me to wait, later he said I should open my boot and when I open my boot he said I should come inside so that we can pick something. When I came inside I sat inside his parlour, later on he said that he did not find anything for me that I should go back and he will call me, not knowing that he brought two riffles and put inside my car.
“So when I come out and met the other boys, one called me aside and told me that he would not allow me to go like that. He said he will take the two riffles in my car and do the job. He said he will bring it back after doing the business, that this will prevent police from arresting me by the road side. That was how he took the riffles,” he narrated.
THREAT TO HIS LIFE
Trouble however started after the elections, when the Hon. who contested under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, failed to secure re-election.
“So after the election, he failed. He didn’t win, we were still working and I came back, he contested under APGA, for third tenure, he failed to win the election. So finally I came back, I said to myself how can a honourable man be doing this kind of wicked thing, so I decide to decamp and go back to PDP.
“After I decamped, he start threatening me to return the riffles. I told him that one of his boys took the riffles and made use of them. During the amnesty in Makurdi that they arrested Gana, he took part in the amnesty, but he did not return the riffles. He said he can handle them himself. Even on the Election Day, I did not go with it.
“He started using those local boys to threaten me that if I don’t bring it, he would kill me and all my family. He started sending messages to my brothers and even my mum. I was scared. The riffle is still with that boy and unfortunately, the boy has been arrested and taken to Abuja till today. When I explained it to him, he got angry and said that he has no business with that boy, that he has the business with me, that he put it in my car and my car is with me, so why should I let the boy take it,” he added.
The source who has now fled Benue leaving behind his my wife in Ukum, said the Hon. who has now decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC, only used him to perpetuate violence in the elections and now wants him dead.
Crying over his safety, he said: “you know how the security issue in Benue is now. Everyone is scared, that place is deadly. I want him to leave my life alone. I have never had anything with Gana. Many people even warned me not to involve myself with this man (Udende) because they see me as a very good boy with potentials.
“He did not pay me anything, he is a very wicked man, he only used me because I have my local business and I had influence on the youths. He just used me for the election and that time I was working with him, I did not know he was into such acts. I thought he was a good man. I don’t have any legal representative, I stay in the village and do my business of selling accessories”.
HON. EMMANUEL UDENDE’S RESPONSE
When Heritage Times contacted the lawmaker on telephone over the weekend, he denied involving himself in any of such dealings, alleging that it was the handiwork of his political rivals.
“I have no dealing with anybody. I don’t. Who is claiming that, I don’t understand how someone would wake up one morning and allege that I’m dealing with a gun? Did I give it to the man or I sold it to him or what happened. But been as it may I have no dealing what so ever.
“You know as a politician, anybody can bring out anything but I have never dealt with any gun. I have not done evil, I have not given or even have any dealing with gun. It’s so sad that someone would bring up that kind of story,” he said.
Meanwhile, the source confided that he had audio recordings and other evidence of threats to his life by the lawmaker, which he may be forced to put forward.
