BENIN CITY – The ordinarily sleepy and peaceful town of Isiohor, in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, was thrown into mourning on the 11 of April, 2011, by the charred remains of one Ugiagbe Charles, still smouldering as at press time, while several members of his family sustained life-threatening gunshot injuries; the aftermath of violence from thugs believed to have been politically sponsored and motivated by one Levis A. Aigbedion, a political kingpin in the locality.
According to a source, who spoke to our Correspondents under the condition of anonymity, “a close friend of one Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, a member of the victimized family, now on the run for dear life, events that led to the tragedy was linked to the refusal of the fleeing Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, to support the political ambition of the said Mr. Levis A. Aigbedion, who had his eyes on the State parliament position.
It was reported that Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart opted to thrown his weight behind the former’s political rival, Mr. Sunny.
It was rumoured that Mr. Levis A. Aigbedion had abandoned his people over the years, despite having the influence to draw the attention of the government to the plights of the ordinary indigenes, but that his rival, Mr. Sunny had empowered people in the locality from his purse.
The source disclosed that this informed the decision of Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, a local music artiste and Political Science student of the University of Benin, to drum up support for Mr. Sunny, using the former’s apathy toward his people as a strong point to campaign against him.
The source disclosed that as a Class Representative in his school, Mr, Ugiagbe Nosa Smart reached out to indigenous students through music shows and gained their supports for Mr. Sunny, to the angst of Mr. Levis A. Aigbedion, who subsequently was believed to have sent armed thugs to disrupt one of such campaigns organised by Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, at Oluku Town, which left many injured from indiscriminate gunshots.
The source further disclosed that this followed by several anonymous phone calls to Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, threatening him with death, should he continue in the path of campaigning against their “boss”, which he paid no attention to, causing him severe beatings by some unknown boys, while on his way from school, which left him hospitalised.
The violence was said to have got to a crescendo, when shortly after Mr. Sunny was declared winner of the election, masked armed men stormed the home of Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart, ransacking the entire house in search of him.
It was gathered that in the anger and disappointment of not finding him, they shot his younger brother, Charles Ugiagbe, beat up his aged parents, dragged them outside and set the house ablaze with the already shot younger brother inside.
The parents informed our Correspondents that the hoodlums then declared the head of their son, Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart wanted, before zooming off.
The spate of political killings, borne out of intolerance for political opposition in Nigeria, have become a cankerworm in the fibre of peaceful coexistence in the country, and the various security outfits have appeared overwhelmed and helpless by the frequency and brazenness by which they are carried out.
As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Mr. Ugiagbe Nosa Smart was still unknown, but our source expressed genuine fears that his life was in grave danger, should he remain in the country.
