The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State are engaged in a verbal war over Thursday’s mob action on suspected kidnappers in Uromi, headquarters Esan North East Local Government Area of the state.
A lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Mr. Patrick Ebojele, while condemning the mob action, described the incident as unfortunate.
“The incident that played out in Uromi yesterday (Thursday) is highly condemnable. It was barbaric. You can agree that it was caused by the situation of insecurity in the country. People now suspect one another. People are angry.
“It was alleged that the victims were in possession of firearms. They should have been properly investigated and taken to the security agencies for profiling, before the mob action was carried out on them.
“It also brought up the fact that the people no longer trust the authorities to do a thorough work. The feeling people now have is that when you involve the security agencies in such issues, the suspects will be released on bail.
“However, that doesn’t mean that people should take the laws into their hands.”
In its reaction, the PDP while condemning the incident, said that it was carried out by a mob led by the newly reorganized state vigilante operatives of the Senator Monday Okpebholo administration.
According to the PDP, “having suffered repeated killings, abductions, and rape of their women, children, and men in the past few months, the indigenes of the state have become paranoid due to the lack of intervention by the state governor and the security apparatus, and out of frustration, have now resorted to extra-judicial killings.
“Also, it is necessary to state that citizens often mirror the character of the government with authority over them.
“Having sensed that Okpebholo’s government does not follow the established rule of law, or obey court judgements, the tendency is there for the civil population to mirror such behaviour.”
The PDP called on President Bola Tinubu to make the necessary call and declare a state of emergency in Edo State, as the mayhem currently ongoing in the state far exceeds the skirmishes that happened in Rivers State, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency there.
Meanwhile, Governor Monday Okpebholo has condemned the action in strong terms, describing the act as barbaric and condemnable.
The governor represented by the Chief Security Officer, Government House, SP Solomon Osaghale, vowed to ensure that the perpetuators are brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law.
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He stressed that such a barbaric act is strange in the state climes and will not be tolerated by his administration.
Osaghale revealed that investigations have shown that the people who were killed had boarded a commercial truck and were stopped by members of the local security who upon search of the vehicle, discovered some guns, a situation that led to the mob attack by persons around the vicinity.
“I can assure you that the people involved in this unprovoked attacked will not go scot -free, as His Excellency has directed the commissioner of police to launch a full scale investigation into the matter.
“As I speak now, over four persons have been arrested for their involvement in this ugly incidence,” he said.
The chief security officer called for calm, while assuring the law- abiding residents of Uromi, especially the Hausa community in the area to go about their daily activities, as the police and other security agencies have been deployed to restore peace and normalcy.
