By Kunle Awai

BENIN-On October 20, 2020, no one had the premonition that the weather friendly day would turn to be one of the deadliest days in the anas of Edo State.

Casualties were recorded in two of the most secured prison facilities in the state following a widespread violent protest against men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force tagged “End SARS”.

What could have informed the protest that later turned into bloody riot which led to wanton destruction of public utilities and loss of lives, including police officers?

Following the widespread extortionist and extra judicial killings of the people, particularly Nigerian Youths by Men and Officers of Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), the people, in nationwide protest called for the abolishment of the SARS with the tagged “End SARS”.

In Benin City, the Edo State Capital, the Oko and Sapele Road maximum prisons were invaded by the protesters as over 2000 inmates were freed by them.

Police facilities were not spared as Oba Market Police station and others in the city were razed down while suspects were also freed.

Angered by the development, the Edo State Government and the Police Authorities in Nigeria declared a man hunt for the perpetrators of the heinous crime against the government.

Top on the list declared wanted by the police are one Ifeanyi Unigwe, an alleged ring leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Edo State, Sunny Inmin (Ekpowa), Usman Taifik , Osaro DPO, Eguavoen and seventeen others.

The Ebonyi born Ifeanyin Unigwe who is also a rights activist, according to investigation spearheaded the prisons attack during the protest as he allegedly led Igbo youths in his Ogida area with fire arms to commit the havoc.

While Ekpowa was another alleged criminal who has been on the wanted list of the police for several months that reportedly mobilised people from Wire and Uselu road axis of the city for the prisons break.

A police source who craved for anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to press narrated that Ifeanyi, a father of five and a trader of provisions and cosmetics was bursted by the police one year after the October 20, 2020 End SARS protest.

Casualties according to the source who claimed to be part of the team that bursted Ifeanyi were recorded during the incident as Ifeanyi’s eldest brother, was shot dead for allegedly preventing the police from gaining access to the house.

Upon seeing the son dead, their father who had come to Benin with some of his other children for a burial ceremony collapsed and died instantly, apparently from the shock of his death.

Hence, Ifeanyi Unigwe and another of his brother, Dominion Unigwe were later arrested and taken to the station by the police according to the source.

One would have thought that with the arrest of Ifeanyi Unigwe, the alleged principal suspect in the End SARS violent protest in Benin, prison yard would have been his next abode.

But there was a twist of event as the suspect was said to have jumped out of the police van on their to the station and escaped into the bush to a later known as Ikpoba Hill axis by the police.

According to our investigation, attempt by the police to arrest him at Ikpoba Hill weeks after his escape from the police also failed as the police was said to have arrested some IPOB members in the area in place of Ifeanyi.

The development it was scooped angered the other IPOB members who narrowly escape from being arrested by the police, hence, they allegedly also declared war on Ifeanyi for exposing them to the security.

All attempt made by the Ugbekun Police Divisional Headquarters to track Ifeanyi down in Upper Sakponba where he was said to have ran to were not successful, a situation that made the police to declare him wanted.