The seventeen years old son of a political activist and youth mobilizer in Edo State, Osayande Clinton Ibude has been abducted by unknown gun men in Benin City, Edo State.
It was learnt that over twenty suspected cultis armed with guns and other dangerous weapons kidnapped the son of Mr. Ibude Enarunina Ephrain on December 21, 2021
A source disclosed that the gun men abducted his son at the mother’s sisters residence along Upper mission road in Benin City and contacted the family on social media with the photograph of Osayande in hand cuffs claiming that they are holding him until they find the father, Ibude Enarunina Ephrain who has been declared wanted following the political crisis in the state.
It was also gathered that the eldest brother of Enarunina Ephrain, Osayi Ibude, who is the only brother of the same parents was sometime in late 2018 killed by alleged agents of the government during a cult clash, Eiye confranity with another cult group in the state.
“The target is to kill the Enarunina Ephrain just the way they killed his brother. They are desperately looking for him and they have used different means including getting a high court order to declare him wanted, that is why he is running for his life,” a family source disclosed
As the search for Enarunina Eprain continues, the political crisis in the state took another twist with the loyalists of former governor Adams Oshiomhole and the loyalists of the incumbent governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki are attacking themselves and some of those loyal to Oshiomhole, like Enarunina Ephrain have since gone underground.
During one of the attacks, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Secretariat and the house of the Chairman, Mr. Iduwa Igbinosun and the PDP ward one was besieged by gun men who destroyed parked vehicles with gun shots.
Meanwhile in an interview with journalists, some of the attacked victims lamented that party primaries degenerated to uncivilized conduct by the aggressors during the election to elect three ad hoc delegates for the party primaries.
“The congress for our party was going on when I got a call from my twelve years old daughter that there was an attack on my house, shooting of gun shots, breaking of bottles and massive destruction. We cannot take the law into our hands and we have reported the matter to the police,” Mr. Iduwa Igbinosun disclosed.
The ward twelve chairman, Mr. Sunny Obakpolo said a Good Samaritan who alerted him to avoid the election venue saved him from the marauders adding that the gun men stormed the party secretariat and opened fire, destroying the wind screen of his vehicle.
The chairman of ward three, Mr. Emmanuel Ikponwosa and woman leader Mrs. Helen Ero who also narrated their ordeal said party chairs were destroyed while empty shells of bullets were all over the floor.
As at press time it was not clear if the abduction of the son of Mr. Ibude Enarunina Ephrain who is on the run from his attackers and the shootings at the PDP secretariat are related but when contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Kotongs Bello confirmed the attacks and said the police command has commenced investigation.
