Members of a royal family in Àgbède, Edo State whose kinsman, Isa Ja Usman, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and some members of the party were recently attacked in Auchi, have accused the police of setting free the prime suspect of the attack.
According to our investigation, the suspect, Salami Abibu who had earlier been apprehended last Tuesday and handed over first to the police at Agbede police station and later to the Auchi Area Command headed by Ms. Oki Rita Emesim was allegedly released on the orders of Ms. Emesim.
Concerned that this might be a ploy to avert justice and further endanger the lives of innocent people, family members and other communities around Auchi have continued to protest what they believe is an attempt to sweep the case under the carpet.
One of the relatives of Usman and a son of the late Oba M. S. Momodu, Dr. Momodu in an interview with our correspondent gave an insight into the crisis and the reasons why the Inspector General of Police must urgently wade into the matter. He also bares his mind on the future of the State’s political machinery. Below are excerpts from the interview:
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: Could you please introduce yourself?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: I am Dr. Momodu, son of Oba of Agbede.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: Let us have an insight to what exactly you think is going on in Edo State.
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: What exactly happened is that, the Deputy Governorship candidate of APC, one Mallam Ganiyu, happens to be from somewhere in this particular zone. A day to the day that the incidence happened, we were at the palace to hold a rally but at the end of the day, they came to meet us there because we are of the PDP. So, we were already on ground ….
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: I learnt you people were originally members of APC but decamped to PDP.
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: With the Governor, Yes. Infact, my uncle that they came to attack is actually an APC member. But basically for the Governor, he decamped to PDP for this election. He is not actually a PDP member, he is an APC member. So, that day, actually, they were not supposed to come because we were already there. They came but we were able to manage the situation because it almost escalated to something else. Then we had to leave the venue to my uncle’s house: his name is Alhaji Isa Jah-Usman. We had to shift to his own house to conclude the activities there. We actually left our canopies at the palace. The plan was that the next day we would continue with our activities. We were surprised that by the next day, they came to tell us that APC has sent their thugs to break the canopies and destroyed the chairs. In order to avoid chaos or violence, we had to reschedule for his compound. So, we didn’t go back to the palace again. The same day, Oshiomole, Ize-Iyamu (APC Governorship candidate), Ganiyi Audu (APC Deputy Governorship candidate) came to the palace. After destroying our own canopies, they erected their own canopies, we were told. We never wanted to revenge so we just left them. We told the owners of the canopies that we would pay for the canopies and the chairs.
So, when we were in my Uncle’s compound, we hosted people from other wards. They were about eating because we cooked for them when, all of a sudden, we heard gunshots outside not knowing that the bike rider who came to drop one of the women that was actually coming for the rally had been shot: four bullets in his leg.
They actually came with 2 unmarked Toyota Sienna cars. They parked outside – some jumped the fence, some passed through the gate, they started shooting. So, they were shooting for about 10-15 minutes. The people that led them to the place are boys among the thugs of the community. We were able to identify some of the thugs. By the time they actually left, they had succeeded in shooting about 5 people. Several other people were injured and they even shot a policeman in the head. Some women who were trying to jump the fence to escape, broke their legs and sustained serious injuries.
So, we reported to the police. The police came afterwards. After a while, the one at Auchi, the Area Commander came and we explained. The incumbent Deputy Governor came too. He was actually at Auchi when the thing happened, so on his way to Benin, he drove to see what happened. So, he promised to speak to the Commissioner of Police to make sure that these boys are apprehended. It is like the Area Commander at Auchi, one Miss Oki Emiesi was actually compromised. It is like the APC are using her against us. She didn’t actually take the issue seriously. We later got information that one of the boys has returned. He comes back at night to sleep in his father’s house and leaves in the morning. We called some police officers at Agbede, we were able to arrest the boys. We brought him and handed the boy over to the police so that by the next morning, they would take him to Benin. Because the commissioner actually asked for the boy. We were surprised the next morning when we got information that the boy has been transferred to Auchi. At first, we thought this was due to the respect for ranking in the police force – the Area Commander at Auchi is a senior officer. So, we thought the Area Commander at Auchi had requested for him. We were surprised when we got information later that the boy had been released despite being the prime suspect.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: What did the Area Commander tell you when you complained about the release of the accused?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: We complained. She didn’t respond.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: Did you get back to the Commissioner or the Deputy Governor?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: We are trying to. When we got back to the Commissioner, the Commissioner actually called the Area Commander to produce the boy the next day. Up till now, she has not been able to produce the boy. The boy has other cases at the police station here, yet he jumped bail.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: In short, he is at large now?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: Yes, he is at large.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: And he’s a likely danger….
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: Yes, to the community. He has other serious crimes he has committed. That is the issue on the ground because the Area Commander has compromised because she is working for them which is not supposed to be.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: In your own opinion, what is the solution to this because election is approaching and the state needs the kind of security that can guarantee free and fair election. What’s your own view, and how can you advise the authorities especially the Inspector General of Police on issues like this?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: I want a situation where the Area Commander is posted to another place. She should redeploy her to another place. Because she is taking sides, it is not a good omen of that election.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: How best can all stakeholders in this election work together so that in the interest of the future of Edo State have a very free, fair and reliable election come election day?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: The issue on ground is to avoid violence. All that is needed is to arrest these boys who are known to be thugs in the community. The police need to apprehend these boys. The violence we’ve noticed so far is unprecedented.
THE LAGOSIAN MAGAZINE: You have done well Sir, by trying to talk to your supporters by telling them not to retaliate. What assurance will you give Nigerians this position will remain in the coming days?
DR. ISHAYA MOMODU: We’re law abiding people. We are sure of what we are doing. We are grass root politicians. We don’t propagate violence. We don’t harbour violence within our group.