By Egharevba Mohammed
BENIN CITY- The family members of one Mr. Pedro Ikponmwen in Benin City, the Edo State Capital, have expressed fears, worries and sadness over the safety and whereabouts of their son Pedro.
The people also appealed to local and international authorities to come to their rescue following incessant threat to their lives by suspected political hired assassins.
A family member who never wanted her name mentioned over security reasons said that trouble started in June, 2014 when Pedro and three other members of the then ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were recruited by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Stalwarts for clandestine motives (ballot snatching) during 2014 Local Government Council Elections in the state.
The source narrated that their son Pedro and three others were promised the sum of N1000.000,00 (one million ) Naira each by the PDP, adding that a part payment of four hundred thousand (N400,000.00) each was given to the trio.
She revealed further that Pedro whose wife was said to have put to bed February 28, 2014 and was looking for money to discharge his wife and baby from the hospital and others refused to carry out the assignment, a situation that made the PDP party to lose the whole 14 local government council areas to the APC, hence, the PDP ,declared the trio wanted dead or alive.
Angered by the turn out of events, the source said: “Pedro and his two friends were deadly attacked by gunmen hired by the PDP stewarts, just as one of the boys was gundown by the assassins while Pedro and the other managed to escape death.
“Not satisfied with their havoc, the daredevil gunmen invaded Pedro’s house on another occasion where they unleashed terror on his parents and elder brother before whisking away his brother to unknown location.
“We later discovered that Pedro’s elder brother was accused with frivolous petition by the PDP and was subsequently arraigned before Evboriaria Magistrate Court in Benin and ever since, he is prison custody awaiting trials”, our source narrated.
Apparently scared of been killed by the assassins, Pedro Ikponmwen, it was scooped ran to somewhere around Delta for safety, as he, Pedro later relocated to his maternal village.
Sometime February, 2016, Pedro came back to Benin to see his baby and his wife and while in the house, the hired assassins invaded the house in search of Pedro. But he narrowly escaped death by whiskers”, she added
The people according to another were shocked to discovered that six years after the election exercise the PDP leaders through their alleged hired assassins are still trailing Pedro as they came to his family house with threat messages that they will not relent in their search for Pedro until he is eliminated.
Contacted, the Edo State Police Command through its Public Relations Officer, DSP Moses Nkombe, confirmed the report, explaining that no arrest has been made in connection with the incident.
He, however, revealed that the police have commenced preliminary investigation into the matter.
