Residents of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, have been thrown into mourning following the killing of Professor Gabriel Nyityo, a senior lecturer in the Department of History at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, formerly known as Benue State University.
The professor was reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen who invaded his residence in the Adaka area, behind the Makurdi Industrial Layout, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Security sources said the assailants attacked the academic at about 3 a.m., fatally shooting him inside his home before fleeing the scene.
The killing has sent shockwaves through the university community, with colleagues and residents describing the late professor as a peaceful and respected scholar.
A lecturer at the university, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed grief over the incident.
“We heard about the news today. It is sad and unfortunate. Prof. Nyityo is a peace loving person. I heard that the incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Wednesday at his residence at Adaka. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.”
Following the attack, sympathisers were seen trooping to the deceased’s residence to commiserate with his family, while his remains have since been deposited in a mortuary.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, neither answered calls nor responded to enquiries on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
