Benin Gun Attack: PDP, APC Wrangle over Alleged Bias by Edo Police Commissioner

The July 18, 2024, bloody political violence in Benin City, Edo State capital, in which Inspector Akor Onu, a police orderly to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Senator Monday Okpebholo, lost his life, has continued to heat up the polity, with the ruling People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state and the APC at each other’s jugular over police handling of investigations into the matter.
At a press conference in Benin on Sunday, the PDP accused state police command of “selective justice” and acting in manners that suggest that they are a wing of the All-Progressives Congress, APC. Chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi said whereas a petition was submitted to the police detailing who perpetrated the mayhem with evidence attached, none of the people was arrested. But instead, the police are after at least 22 leaders and members of the party though there was no evidence that they were at the scene of the incident.
However, firing back, the APC in a statement by its state chairman, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, described the PDP’s complaint as “baseless” and an attempt to subvert investigation.
Calling out the commissioner of police, Funsho Adegboye, Aziegbeni had stated that “On Thursday, July 18, thugs linked to the APC unleashed mayhem on innocent citizens along the Benin Airport Road, in the guise of welcoming the impeached Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu and the Governorship candidate of the APC, Monday Okphebholo. The ensuing chaos led to the destruction of property of law-abiding members of the public and the unfortunate death of a Police Officer.
“There are video evidence and a newspaper publication of this incident which clearly identified thugs and members of the APC who carried out this wanton destruction of property and breach of public peace. A petition, to which all the evidence was attached, was again submitted to the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Unfortunately and predictably, the Police Commissioner has failed to act on this petition and none of the people have been arrested.
“Rather, they have deployed a tactical team of policemen to arrest and harass at least 22 members and leaders of the PDP in Edo State, who are currently under heavy surveillance, in connection with the said public disturbance of Thursday, July 18, even though there is no evidence to show that they were at the scene of the said event. The Police, from their actions and inactions in the wake of the developments in Edo State, appear to be acting a script in selective justice, preferring and nitpicking the petitions over which it acts, preferring rather to be better disposed to attention to petitions raised by the APC.
“We would like to stress that the Police is funded with taxpayers’ money and is obligated to act in manners that preserve public peace, ensuring that everyone has equal and unhindered access to justice. We are concerned about this pattern of abuse of justice dangerously perpetuated by the Nigeria Police Force, especially in the run-up to the September 21 governorship election”.
Buttressing his allegation, Aziegbemi recalled that a few weeks ago, the Deputy Director General, Media and Publicity of the PDP Election Campaign Council, Reverend Olu Martins, was invited and arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force based on a petition against him, adding that he was subsequently arraigned and granted bail after meeting the necessary bail conditions set by the trial Judge and the case subsequently adjourned.
Dr. Aziegbemi posited that on the contrary, he, as the chairman of the PDP in the state, wrote a petition over comments by the chairman of the state’s chapter of the APC “where he threatened to mobilise and lead youths to stone Governor Godwin Obaseki, which is clearly a recipe for violence and chaos in the state, given the sensitivity of the office of the governor”.
The PDP chairman said “Surprisingly, no action has been taken on the matter since the petition was submitted, unlike the swift manner in which the Police responded to the petition against the Deputy Director General, Media and Publicity for the PDP Campaign Council”.
While stating that the alleged preferential conduct of the police portended a rather disturbing trend that must be checked in the interest of peace in the state, the PDP admonished the Police to keep to its professional mandate and not act as an instrument in the hands of desperate politicians who are hell-bent on destroying the state in pursuit of their selfish ends.
The party therefore called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun “to use his good offices and formations to ensure that the actual criminals are brought to book as against the innocent members of society being accused unjustly. The actual criminals are parading the streets freely and bragging about that nothing can happen to them as long as they belong to the ruling party APC”.
Aziegbemi also called on the IGP to safeguard and uphold democracy within the state and be seen to uphold the rule of law as Nigeria belongs to all its citizens and the right of membership of associations is guaranteed by the Constitution.
But joining issues with the PDP, the APC described Aziegbemi’s statement as “reckless”. Tenebe, in his response, said “For a man that was kidnapped not too long ago on his way from the residence of Governor Godwin Obaseki, he should realize that the criminals terrorising the state are enemies within them. What the police deserves from him is praise for rescuing him from his kidnappers’ den and not baseless castigation”.
According to him, “The two cases Aziegbemi mentioned in his statement demanded appropriate urgent attention by the police to discourage other PDP leaders and members who are determined to visit violence on the electorates before, during and after the September 21, 2024, election, which the PDP has vowed to win by all means possible.
“In the first instance, a debased Pastor who goes by the name, Olu Martins and also doubles as the Deputy Director General of Asue Ighodaro Campaign Organisation, openly ordered PDP known cultists to unleash violence on members of the opposition parties in the state. He went further to supervise the destruction of campaign billboards of opposition parties across the state. One wonders if Aziegbemi was expecting the police to allow Martins and his ilk to cause more havoc before arresting him.
“Perhaps more debasing of Aziegbemi’s position is his fault-finding in the APC petition to the Inspector General of Police on the murder of Inspector Onuh Akor, the security aide to distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo who was murdered by Obaseki’s killer squad, masquerading as members of Edo State Security Network (ESSN).
“Hard as Aziegbemi and his PDP would want to subvert investigation, the circumstance that led to the unfortunate incident speaks for itself. Those that murdered Inspector Akor were stationed at the airport exit gate in a marked Sienna bus with Asue-Ogie sticker.
“What Aziegbemi is short of saying is that the APC supporters who had come to welcome the reinstated deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, and the APC governorship candidate, Senator Okpebholo, decided to shoot at themselves. The incident does not demand special investigation skill to establish the fact that the killers of Inspector Akor were dispatched by PDP to stop the convoy from leaving the airport.
“However, the APC sees Aziegbemi’s baseless complaint as mere excuse for the imminent defeat that awaits PDP and their candidate on September 21, and we are advising him to reserve his tears till Sunday September 22, 2024, when the Independent National Electoral Commission would have pronounced Senator Okpebholo winner”.
But when contacted for his reaction, the state police commissioner, said “The cases are in Abuja now, so any enquiry should go to the Force CID”.