A former Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Bem Anweh, was on Saturday, shot in the leg by unknown gunmen in Gboko metropolis of Gboko Local Government Area in Benue State.

Daily Trust learnt that the incident happened about 10am at a filling station near Gyado suburb in Gboko.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue Command (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident but added that the Police were yet to get full details of what transpired at the time of filing this report.

However, locals told our correspondent that the gunmen were likely to be political thugs, who attacked the former NHRC boss and caused panic at the scene of their operation as they shot sporadically into the air to scare away residents.

It was further gathered that the gunmen left the scene immediately after carrying out the attack on Anweh, who was initially taken to a hospital in Gboko but later moved to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi.