IG Arraigns Detained PDP Chieftains

Meanwhile, the detained PDP members were said to have been arraigned by the IG at a distant Magistrate Court in the suburb of Abuja, far away from where the crimes were allegedly committed.

In the document, with charge No CR/DUI/714/24 and cited by THISDAY, the Inspector General of Police arraigned the detained PDP chieftains in connection with the Airport Road incident of Thursday, July 18, 2024, even though there was said to be no evidence to show that they were at the scene of the said event.

Rather, there were said to be video evidence and a newspaper publication of the incident which identified the faces of the gun-wielding thugs and members of the APC,who carried out the destruction of property and breach of public peace on the said date.

Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Hon. Collins Aigbogun, who was recently arrested in his local council and whisked to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, who had approached the police to give evidence after he was attacked and shot at, was among those arraigned by the IGP.

The PDP  described the move by the IG as a mere subterfuge, noting that it was all part of efforts to advance the devious plans by the APC, which had repeatedly boasted of using ‘Federal Might’ to ensure victory against the will or wishes of Edo people, having realised that they didn’t stand a chance of victory in a free, fair and credible election.

Also, thousands of Edo women, converged on Benin City, to protest against police partiality in the run-up to the governorship election, demanding the release of their husbands, children, sons and fathers who were illegally arrested and detained by the Police in collusion with the APC.

The Edo women matched in their numbers through major roads within the Benin metropolis, from King Square through Airport Road, among others, carrying placards with various inscriptions to register their displeasure over the partiality of the police leading to the politically motivated arrest and detention of their family members.

The protesters who were all dressed in black attire also made a stop at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, which is the venue for the signing of the Peace Accord for the September 21 governorship election, demanding for a free, fair and credible election in the State.

Some of the women who spoke to our correspondents called President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in the Inspector General of Police to avoid a breakdown of law and order and avert the impending crisis in the State.

Also, Team Asue Media Organisation (TAMO), has condemned the alleged collusion between the APC and the police, saying it has thrown its weight behind Governor Godwin Obaseki’s refusal to sign the peace accord.

In a statement in Benin City by its Coordinator, Erhabor Emokpae, TAMO insisted that the governor was right in rejecting the appeal to sign the peace accord.

He said the police had not demonstrated the needed conviction of neutrality but on the contrary continued to show that they were “a willing tool in the hands of the APC by arresting and harassing PDP members at will while ignoring the criminal actions of APC thugs and operatives.”