Police To Probe Vigilantes Attack On Edo Activist

The police in Edo State have commenced investigation into the viral video in which an activist, Comrade Okhai Okhani, was shown being violently assaulted by some vigilantes in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
The involvement of the police was confirmed by Edo State Police Public Relations officer, Moses Iyamu.
The disturbing video had shown Comrade Okhani, Coordinator of Edo North Unity Worldwide, being violently assaulted by the armed vigilantes.
The activist, currently in critical condition at an undisclosed hospital, has called on the police, army, Directorate of State Services, and the Edo State government to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to book.
Narrating his ordeal to newsmen via telephone Okhani recounted how over 50 uniformed armed vigilantes and thugs stormed the venue of a stakeholders’ summit he organized for political office holders in Edo North to present their scorecards.
The event, according to him is an annual forum to assess and honour public office holders who had positively impacted their constituencies in delivering dividends of democracy.
He stated that he had sent out official invitations to notable political figures including Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Hon. Peter Akpatason, Hon. Anamero Sunday, and Hon. Hussein Mustapher, and several others. The venue for the event, he added, was approved by the Acting Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Council, Hon. Valentine Okuilagwe.
Okhani said all was set for takeoff when the venue was not only attacked and vandalized, guests were brutalized and valuables were destroyed by the attackers. Alleging that it was orchestrated by political actors in Edo North, who felt the assessment and honor was not in their favour, he said they deployed the vigilante group with thugs to disrupt the gathering.
According to him, “Shortly before the event commenced, a group of vigilantes and thugs arrived on motorcycles and without any provocation assaulted participants, damaging equipments, and beating me to pulp.
“I recognized some of the vigilante members. They descended on me and my colleagues, beat us up with machetes and clubs and even captured the violence on video. They threw me into their Hilux vehicle where they continued to brutalize me with the butts of their rifles,” Okhani said.
“They took me to the Auchi Area Command of the Nigeria Police where I was detained for over four hours without formal charges. They falsely claimed that my venue was not approved for the event. Yet the venue, a public event centre was officially approved. At the Command worried by the critical condition that I was in, the police released me to my wife to seek medical treatment,” he added.
Okhani described the incident as a politically motivated assault and expressed concern that local vigilante groups are now being used as tools of intimidation by powerful individuals in Edo North.
“I am in pains my ribs, my head. These men dragged me to an unknown location before deciding to hand me over to the Area Commander, ACP Lawrence Adjihu, and his deputy, CSP Albert Udeme.”
Calling for public support and prayers, he urged the Edo State government to prevent further abuse of power by vigilante operatives while calling for those behind the attack to be brought to book.