Police Detains APC Leaders in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Tension arose within the rank of the All Porgressives Congress (APC) in Edo State as the state police command detained the ward leaders of the party in Oredo Local Government Area.

One of those detained included the state Youth Leader of the party, Osakpanwa Eriyo, over alleged threat on the life of the state Secretary of the party, Chief Osaro Idah and a security detail attached to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Their arrest followed a petition by Idah who alleged that Eriyo had threatened “to eliminate him the way my father was killed,” during a meeting of the leaders of the party at Government House last week.

Trouble started according to information reaching THISDAY when some loyalists of Eriyo were prevented from entering a meeting of the party leaders in Oredo which was called by the governor with a view to resolving the leadership crisis in the local government which was said to have heightened as Eriyo and Idah engaged themselves in a war of words which almost marred the meeting.

However, in the petition addressed to the state Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, Idah alleged threat to his life and called for investigation.

It also learnt that after the police refused to release Eriyo who was invited, his loyalists stormed the police command, urging the police to detain all of them instead.

Following the confusion, his loyalists were detained including the some members of the party executive in Oredo.
However, Eriyo who spoke with journalists, denied threatening the life of Idah, saying that “ they are only fighting me to control the party in Oredo. I have not done anything to anybody.”