Soldiers kidnaped our staff, not unknown gunmen – BIRS

The Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) has said more information have been uncovered regarding the alleged kidnap of 5 of its staff who were yesterday abducted after an attack on the Branch Atser Inspection point in Vandeikya Local Government Area.

According to informtion available, the claimed unknown gunmen were actually military men from the 72 airborne battalion in Makurdi.

The attack is believed to have been necesitated by the refusal of the staff at the inspection point to allow a military truck pass without paying the legal tax. It was the insistence of the inspection point staff that the military men must pay staff that led to the assault and abduction.

It has also been gathered that the abducted staff were yesterday carted to Katsina Ala where they have been unlawfully detained by the military.

However efforts are in top notch to ensure their release with the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortoms intervention even as the army authorities have spelt out unrelistic terms and condition.