Secretary of Iyowa village in Ovia North East Local government Area of Edo State, Elder Festus Igbinowanhia, has appealed to His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, CFR, Governor Godwin Obaseki and relevant security agencies to come to their aid on what he described as the untold attack on the innocent indigenes of the village.
Elder Igbinowanhia made the appeal while speaking with journalists on the alleged attack and destruction of properties of one Mr Benjamin Ighodaro by some unknown hoodlums and alleged persons in police uniforms.
The attack, according to Elder Festus Igbinowanhia, took place on Monday, May 27, 2024, but said, “They are yet to actually believe that it was the handiwork of the Nigeria Police officers to be involved in such unfortunate manners.
“We see them as thugs, maybe sent to come and assassinate him, hence we are using this medium to beg the Oba of Benin, Edo State government and security agencies to come to our aid before the situation gets out of hand and look into the situation happening in the village so that there will be peace.”
He however added that there has been a long standing feud concerning the Odionwere tussle between Pa Enotiemwomwan Igbinidu and Pa Samson Ederaro Obazee, but that there is a restraining order on both of them until the case is determined in court.
He pointed out that one of the parties, Pa Obazee does not want to obey the restraining order and he is still parading himself as the Odionwere and allegedly using his boys to disturb the peace in the community, and each time there is development going on he harrases, intimidates and arrests people that are not supporting him.
Narrating his ordeal to journalists, Mr Benjamin Ighodaro said he had a distress call on Monday, May 27, 2024, that a group of people, some allegedly in police uniforms came to his house, allegedly jumped the fence, broke the padlock to the gate and the main door to the house, shattered the glass window and beat up his wife and children when they could not find him at home.
“Am pleading to our father, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, the Governor and other security agencies to come to his aid as his life is not safe again”, he said.
Collaborating the statement made by the secretary of the community Elder Festus Igbinowanhia and Benjamin Ighodaro, a neighbour, Mrs Roseline Igbinowanhia, said she was inside when she heard a loud bang on the gate to the house of Mr Benjamin Ighodaro, she came out and saw some persons in police uniforms and others on plain cloths, some jumped into the compound, broke the key to the gate to allow others access to the compound.
Continuing, she said she called out to them to stop what they were doing as the occupants of the house were not at home but they did not listen to her and before she knew what was happening, they allegedly smashed the glass windows and broke the other door open, beat up the wife and children that were inside the house.
She also noted that she was afraid to cross the gate to meet them for fear of being attacked by the hoodlums and persons in police uniforms.
However, attempts to get the accused Odionwere to deny the allegations of not obeying the court order and others was not successful.
