How A Hit-And-Run Driver Killed Vanguard Newspaper Reporter, Tordue Salem

By Akinwale Kasali

Vanguard Newspaper reporter, Tordue Salem, who  was missing for 29 days, was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

He was attached to the House of Representatives as a Correspondent.

The hit-and-run driver, Itoro Clement, has confessed to knocking down the late Salem.

Force Spokesman, Frank MBA disclosed this while parading Itoro at the premises of the  Intelligence Response Team, IRT, in Abuja. He confessed to hitting Salem at the Mabushi area on October 13 and sped off.

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

He said Itoro 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.

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.”

Explaining why he did not wait after the accident; Itoro 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.

Salem’s body was found on Thursday, November 11, 29 days after he went missing.

The remains of the journalist was found after 29 days of frantic search in a morgue in Wuse.

The late Salem was last seen alive around Total filling station, close to the Force headquarters alighting from a Cab and headed for BJ’s Garden in the company of a female relative it was gathered.

As the investigation  intensified, some arrests were reportedly made. Among them was that of a man who was picked for attempting to extort Salem’s family.

Prince Enyenihi was a prime suspect, and was alleged to have contacted the Wife on October 26, 2021, via a text message with a concealed number, requesting for N100 million ransom, to be paid as ransom for her husband’s release.

Part of the text message read: “if you don’t pay, Tordue will be killed in seven days. For more information, call this number ….  The text message also contained an account number the money should be paid into.