Fact Check: Did Plateau youth attack female Senator, Dadu’ut, over poor representation?

By Kingsley Chukwuka

A report by Sahara Reporters has suggested that Senator Nora Dadu’ut (APC Plateau South), was recently attacked by youths of her constituency on Thursday due to poor representation.

The online medium with a title “Angry Youths Attack Ruling Party APC Female Senator, Nora Ladi Dadu’ut Over Poor Representation”, has however been described as untrue by journalists who accompanied the Senator to commission an ICT information center at the said constituency in Namu community of Qua’anpan Local Government Area of the State.

Also lending their voice are a group of women under the umbrella of “Women For Positive Movement”, who also tagged the report by Sahara as malicious, urging the online medium to always get their facts before rushing to the press.

Putting the record straight, our correspondent who was part of the media crew that accompanied the Senator, had reported that Sen. Dadu’ut ran into an angry mob who were protesting against security operatives, claiming indiscriminate arrest of their youths.

The mob barricaded the road just immediately after the Senator was leaving the venue of the commissioning of the ICT Center/E-Library, demanding from her to put a call to the Police to release the arrested youths.

The irate youths who refused to back down held the Senator’s convoy for over three hours issuing threat to her life and that of the 14 journalists who accompanied her.

It however took the intervention of troops of the Special Military Task Force, code named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), under the command of Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, to disperse the angry mob and rescue the Senator.

Consequently, the mob angered by the rescue of the Senator, became more uncontrollable and burnt down the NUJ press bus and the pilot vehicle that accompanied the Senator.

However, still reacting the unfortunate incident the Women group in a statement signed by it’s Spokesperson Juliana Nanjul, said: “We condemn the  attack on  Senator Dadu’ut and 14 journalists.

“We thank our senator for the good works she is doing in her constituency since she got elected.

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“The report that she was attacked by the youths because of non performance is not true as reports from journalists on the scene had given the true picture of what happened.

“The attack which was said to be unrelated to the commissioning of the project was alleged to have been orchestrated by hoodlums who were said to have been angered by the arrest of a suspected wanted kidnap kingpin by security agencies, and thus decided to vent their anger on passers by and any innocent person they encountered.

“This led to the burning of one of the security vehicles of the Senator, the damage of her official vehicle as well as the complete burning down of the NUJ Press bus which conveyed members of the Union to cover the event”, the statement reads in part.