Ruth Acheme, first cousin of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women leader, Salome Abuh, who was burnt to death in Kogi, has revealed that the family were only able to retrieve part of the deceased skull and chest for burial.
Abuh, 60, was allegedly burnt to death by suspected political hoodlums belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC), who laid siege to her house and set it on fire.
It was gathered that the thugs, who were reportedly chanting GYB 4+4, prevented her from escaping the fire.
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Speaking ahead of her burial later on Saturday, Acheme said her late cousin had insisted on staying back in Lokoja, the state capital, because if the election, despite objection from family members.
She also said the sponsors of her killers were spreading rumours to cover up how she was killed.
She said: “They claim that some of the touts were from Ibaji. The husband (also a retiree from the Presidency) pressured her that they should go to Abuja together on Sunday, but she persisted, saying PDP would win the election and she wanted to be on the ground,” she told TheNation in an interview.
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“Even her younger sister called from Ajaka and said: ‘What are you doing there?’ But, she said, ‘If you people are afraid,’ she was not afraid of anything, and it was that day that they killed her and burnt her body.
“They came inside and packed her belongings and loaded them into their Sienna bus and another smaller car.
“One of her younger brothers came from Ogwalawo, but he was advised to go to the police station. It was after that we went with the police.
“The police passed by us to other houses that were burnt; five in all, belonging to PDP members.
“The member of the House of Representatives came to inspect the scene of the crime, he met us under the cashew tree where we stood, and together, we went to the house.
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“There was little of the head and chest, they packed the whole thing in a cloth before they went to buy casket in Anyingba. It was the Rep (Hon. Zachariah) that gave us N50,000 to buy the casket.”
She added that the state government was yet to reach out to the family.
The report also said that residence of Ochadamu, the area where the incident occurred, who had fled the town because of the incident, are beginning to return home.
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