On Thursday, in Benin, gunmen attacked the convoy of Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the APC Governorship Candidate for Edo, and the reinstated Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, resulting in the death of one security detail.
The incident occurred on Airport Road when Okpebholo and others arrived in Benin from Abuja on a chartered flight. A police officer was killed, and three others were injured during the attack. It remains unclear if Okpebholo was wounded, but reports indicate he is hospitalized in an undisclosed location in Benin City.
This attack follows a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja on Wednesday that voided the impeachment of Shaibu as the state deputy governor by the state House of Assembly. The House of Assembly has since appealed the judgment.
Witnesses reported that the gunmen, in a vehicle at the airport exit gate, opened fire on the convoy, prompting a retaliatory response from the armed security details accompanying the APC candidate and Shaibu. The attack caused chaos, with shops and offices hurriedly closing and motorists abandoning their vehicles to seek safety.
SP Chidi Nwabuzor, Public Relations Officer of the Edo Police Command, confirmed that the incident is under investigation. “It is premature for the police to confirm at this time until the investigation is concluded,” he stated.
Security has been heightened at the premises of the state Deputy Governor, Godwins Omobayo, located at Osadebey Avenue near the airport in Benin, to prevent any further attacks.
In a statement on Thursday, the Edo Government accused thugs, allegedly working in connivance with the former deputy governor, of perpetrating the attack. Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, claimed that Shaibu-led thugs have been causing mayhem under the pretext of enforcing the judgment reinstating him to office.
“We want to reiterate that Shaibu will face the consequences of the violence that he has resorted to in pursuit of his aim to return to the Government House, even when he is aware that a stay of execution of the judgment has been filed,” Nehikhare said.
The Commissioner urged the public to remain calm and continue their lawful activities as the government works to restore peace in the city.
Efforts to obtain Shaibu’s reaction were unsuccessful. However, Mr. Godswill Inegbe, an aide to Okpebholo, confirmed the attack in a statement. “During the unprovoked attack, three mobile policemen attached to the security detail of Sen. Okpebholo were injured with bullet wounds, while one of the policemen has been feared dead,” Inegbe said.
According to Inegbe, Okpebholo is currently receiving medical attention in an undisclosed hospital in Benin, along with other members of his entourage.
