By Dennis Mernyi
The Middle Belt Journalists Forum, MBJF has lamented the circumstances that has led to the mysterious death of the Vanguard newspapers National Assembly Correspondent, Mr Tordue Henry Salem.

But in a curious twist, the Police Friday in Abuja said they arrested a commercial driver suspected to be responsible for the death of a Vanguard Journalist, Tordue Salem.

Tordue Salem has been missing since October 13 night when he closed from work. CP Frank Mba, the Police Force PRO had told protesting journalists under NUJ FCT Council/ Middle Belt Journalists Forum, MBJF that Tordue was still alive at the time we matched to the force headquarters in Abuja.

He said six persons were arrested and interrogated, useful information were extracted from them.
He said, the police were on top of the investigation.

But rather curiously, cautioned against giving out details information on their investigation as that may jeopardize their fact-finding.

Questions like who was holding Tordue that the Police assured of his safety, Force PRO Mba did not disclose.
Since then (over two weeks) the Police authorities or any security operatives did not make any statement concerning Tordue despite several calls by prominent Nigerian’s on them to ensure the safety of the journalist and his rescue.

This is despite calls by prominent Nigerians like the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom who imply the Police hierarchy in Abuja to deploy high-profile investigations and they should ensure his safety and rescue.

The National Assembly leadership did. Senators Gabriel Suswam did. Senator Orker Jev, Abba Moro did an Senator George Akume did. Yet the Nigerian nothing much was done by the security agencies to rescue the Journalist. The suspect, a 29-year-old commercial driver, Itoro Clement was paraded on Friday in Abuja.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba said Clement was arrested following an investigation carried out by the Force Intelligence Bureau.

He said Clement who was driving a 2004 Model Camry with number plate BWR 243 BK confessed to having hit Tordue at about 10:00 pm on the night of 13th October 2021, around Mabushi area in Abuja but ran away.

According to the him, the driver, during interrogation, said, “I thought it was an armed robber that I knocked down until the following day when I saw a smashed phone on my windscreen. The phone was not working again so I threw it away.”

Reps task security agencies on missing Vanguard reporter, Tordue Salem

Explaining why he did not wait after the accident; Clement claimed that the area where the incident occurred is notorious for criminal activities.

“The place I knocked this person down, is a criminal place everybody knows that place,” he said.

The police declared late Thursday night that Salem’s body was found on Thursday, November 11, more than a month after he went missing.

An indigene of Benue State, Salem covers the House of Representatives and was last seen on October 13, 2021, a situation that led to protest and agitation by Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja.