A former Senate President, David Mark, on Monday petitioned the Inspector – General of Police, Solomon Arase, alleging that some gladiators in the forthcoming rerun election in the Benue South Senatorial District, were planning to assassinate him.

Mark, who is contesting the February 20 poll on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, told the IGP that he uncovered the plot through intelligence gathering.

He specifically alleged that three top members of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (names withheld to avoid litigation), hired the services of cultists to unleash terror in Benue South and in the process target him (Mark) for elimination.

The former senate president, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media,  Paul Mumeh, explained that “credible sources listed the cultists  hired for the assassination to include the notorious supreme Vikings Squad from Jos, Plateau State and the dreaded Black Axe in Makurdi  Benue State.”

The statement noted that Mark’s petition to the IGP signed by his counsel Mr. Ken Ikonne, alleged that one (Okpokwu Ogenyi) is the arrow head of the plot.

In the petition, Ikonne told the IGP that “it is obvious that (Ogenyi) knows more about the assassination plot than he has revealed.”

The petition, according to the statement reads, “Our client has therefore instructed us to petition you (IGP) to as a matter of urgency apprehend and interrogate (Ogenyi) to throw more light on the details of this grave assassination plot before he and his associates carry out the dastardly plot.

“Only yesterday (Sunday), Police said to be attached to (the State Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu,) fired several gun shots into the family house of Senator Mark in Otukpo.

“No reason was given for the unprovoked attack and no arrest has been made. A couple of weeks ago, (Benue  State chairman of the APC Mr. Abbah Yaro)  was quoted as saying if Senator Mark wants, let him win the election in seven out of the nine local government areas  but no returning officer born of a woman will dare declare him.”

The statement added that the PDP Chairman in the state, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, had petitioned the Benue command of the Nigeria Police over the unhealthy political activities of APC in the state ahead of the election and asked the authorities to prevail on members of the party to allow peace to reign.