By EMEKA NWABOLI
BENIN CITY- A young man, native of Iguagban village in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State is currently on the run for his dear life for the complexity role he played in a fierce garrage war that led to the death of two people.
The young Benin man, Abel Asemota, Secretary of one of the warring factions fighting for the political control of one of the busiest Bike / Tricycle parks in Ekpe metropolis of Lagos State and five others have always been hired and used by any political party during elections.
Abel Asemota, a father of two and an only surviving male including a sister from a four children of one mother in a polygamous house, who lost his father at a very tender age of three years is now on the run and declared wanted by the police for spare-heading the deadly and bloody war that broke out in the Ekpe Area I, Bike/Tricycle park recently.
According to a very reliable anonymous source, who narrated the entire story to our correspondent under very close confidentiality for fear of victimization said that the whole story started from after the declaration of the 2015 governorship election result in lagos state that went in the favour of Mr. Ambode of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said initially, the out-going governor, Rashid Fashola allowed the operation of the park to go on all along, even though it was a very risky operation. Due to the incessant rate and cases of casualty, death and disabilities arising from the regular accidents involving them. But he decided to allow them because of their nuisance value of using them to actualize his dreams during the elections.
So as the election was approaching, governor Fashola, empowered the executive and entire members of the park, financing them to work enmasse for the favour of the incumbent party, the APC to retain power at all cost, unknowingly to him that the park was already divided into two factions as majority of them were for the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by the recognized Secretary of the park, Mr Abel Asemota. But the governor’s action however caused a total disaffection and division in the park.
Abel Asemota and his faction were working tirelessly for Mr Jimi Agbaje, of the opposition party to win at all cost to enable them gain the final and total control of the park permanently.
The source revealed that as soon as the election results were announced, two days later in favour of the APC, Abel Asemota’s faction that lost out was asked to vacate the park with violence an action which was physically resisted by his faction.
However, the resistance later turned a free for all bloody fight with different deadly weapons that resulted the winners forcefully destroying the others tricycles in the process. In the ensuing melee the new winning faction went to re-enforce to retaliate the death of their two members.
Since they couldn’t meet their targets in the battle scene again, they vowed to get Abel Asemota in particular and his cohorts, dead or alive anywhere found in the country, as far as their party APC is equally in control, ruling the country at the top.
Another source close to Abel Asemota added that he was present in the hospital, for a sympathy visit as a leader where he (Asemota) went to see the wounded members of their faction that were admitted in an undisclosed hospital, when he heard that the police have declared him wanted and desperately looking for him.
He then escaped from Lagos to Kano, where unfortunately, similar fight along political party line continued unabated, that which extended to Niger State. It was then like running to the enemy camp again and the threat to his life continued unabated, having been involved in the fight there as a party member too.
Meanwhile, the APC Party members and the faction of the park of the same party, later lodged an official complaint to the police headquarters, with a view to rounding up the opposition party members, Abel Asemota and his group.
But Abel Asemota was particularly singled out as a dreaded opinion leader, being a very popular and well known Secretary before the crisis caused by the political campaign divisions started.
It was also earlier heard that he was desperately traced to the only surviving sister’s matrimonial place at Port Harcourt, where she lives with her husband by the opposite camp, but failed as he was not found there.
When contacted a police source, from the headquarters who pleaded anonymity also revealed that Abel Asemota has since been declared wanted officially with a ransome of N10m ( ten million naira) for any successful informat that can lead to his arrest.
Since then nothing has been heard about Abel Asemota Whether he has been captured and killed by the opposite camp, nobody can tell as the threat to his life has become very unbearable and more intensified by the police.
It was also understood that if found, Abel Asemota will face a punishable offence of death penalty or life imprisonment for his actions.
