The Palace of the Okumagbe of Uwanno Kingdom has been besieged by protesters demanding the immediate release of PDP leaders that were randomly arrested across Etsako East Local Government Council in the early hours of Thursday, September 19, 2024.
Youths and women, who stormed the Okumagbe’s palace with various placards chanting freedom songs and threatening to take laws into their hands if the arrested PDP leaders were not released, said they are in the palace to issue a 12-hour ultimatum to the Nigeria Police to release their leaders and warned them against further arrest as they will defend their community leaders henceforth from further harassment.
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of Etsako East Council Hon. (Princess) Benedicta Attoh has also reacted to the incident, calling on the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff and other security agencies to abide by their promises of remaining neutral in the Edo Governorship election rather than arresting her party leaders across Etsako East Council simply for not supporting the opposition.
In a press statement signed by Benjamin Atu, Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Chairman Etsako East Council Hon (Princess) Benedicta Attoh, Hon. Attoh, who was reacting to the actions of the Police, seeks to know if the 35,000 Policemen deployed to ensure peaceful election in the state were deployed to deliver APC by arresting PDP members from voting in the governorship election.
“If the Nigeria Police and other security agencies were here to make peace why are they making all communities boil by arresting people for not supporting APC? The police must not allow themselves to be used. This unprovoked anger is avoidable as the actions of the police could lead to breakdown of law and order across the State,” she said.
According to her, “the early morning raid by the members of the Nigerian Police Force today 19th September 2024 has left the youths boiling as protests are currently ongoing at the Okumagbe palace, as the Etsako East youths have resolved to defend their community leaders against further indiscriminate molestation by the Police. We can’t continue to calm the youths when the Police are making their own community hostile.
“For a peaceful election, I therefore call on the inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, DSS and others to intervene for the immediate release of Chief Abdullahi Isah, aka Chief O3 that was arrested in Okpella; Ward 3 Councillor, Monday Uloko, that were arrested in Agenebode, the secretary to the palace of the Okumagbe of Uwanno Kingdom and Supervisor in the Council Hon. Peter Akhagbosu, Samali James and other personal aides of PDP chieftain Hon. D. D Ilugbekhai, whose life is also currently under threat.
“We need men with capacity for development to govern Edo State as a Governor and not men with capacity for violence. The collective will of the masses can’t be subdued by unwarranted arrest as the continuous arrest will affect the turnout in the general election and worsen the electoral lose of the APC as those whose family members are arrested will mobilise against the APC. Their actions won’t earn them victory but the opposite she warned”.
