By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Edo State Police Command said on Wednesday, February 25, that it has launched an investigation into an alleged attack on chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, during an event in Benin City on Tuesday, February 24.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, had in a post on X, said Peter Obi and some chieftains of the ADC were attacked at the residence of Odigie-Oyegun.
The state police command, in a statement on Wednesday by the command spokesperson, Eno Ikodem, said suspected hoodlums allegedly infiltrated a political gathering at about 2:55 p.m. and caused panic shortly after the event had been concluded, and most dignitaries had left the venue.
The statement read: “The hoodlums were said to have caused commotion, chased members away, and threw the furniture at the venue upside down.”
According to the statement, plastic chairs and canopies arranged outside the secretariat for the event were vandalised.
Ikodem said patrol teams responded to distress calls, but the suspects fled before operatives arrived.
“No casualties were recorded. However, during the ensuing stampede, one woman sustained injuries not related to gunfire. She was promptly treated at a nearby chemist and has since been discharged,” the statement added.
The police spokesperson noted that the command also investigated a distress report alleging gunshots around the residence of Odigie-Oyegun.
Ikodem said operatives who arrived at the residence observed “signs of malicious damage,” including broken rear windscreens and body parts of vehicles parked outside the compound, adding that “no casualty was recorded at the residence.”
The statement added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Agbonika, has ordered a “full-scale” investigation into the incidents with a view to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting those responsible.
The command also announced that political party leaders have been invited to meet with the commissioner of police to discuss strategies for sustaining peaceful political activities in the state.
