The Edo State Police Command on Thursday detained the factional Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Uyi Igbe, and the factional Majority Leader, Philip Shaibu, over allegations of their involvement in the attack on a member of the Assembly, Abdulrazak Momoh, who was reportedly attacked by suspected thugs at the legislative quartres, Benin.
Momoh, representing Etsako West Constituency in the Assembly, whose seat was declared vacant by the House in July, was said to have been attacked by thugs after he allegedly ignored the instruction of security men at legislative quarters not to enter the quarters by scaling the perimeter fence.
The Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker was reportedly beaten to a coma before he was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
The PDP had on Wednesday, in a statement through its Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, accused the Majority Leader and other the All Progressives Congress lawmakers of masterminding the attack, an allegation Shaibu dismissed.
Igbe, Shaibu and another member, Mr. Folly Ogedegbe, were reportedly invited to the state police command by the Commissioner of Police, Foluso Adebanjo, at about 11am on Thursday, while their colleagues and other supporters thronged the police command in solidarity.
It was also gathered that the lawmakers, who were detained by the command, had been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to appear before it in Abuja on Monday, next week, although the reasons for the invitation was still unknown.
Meanwhile, the APC has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the PDP, through the Federal Government, to incarcerate all loyalists of the State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Godwin Erhahon, said, “We are aware of the plots by the PDP to arrest, maim and eliminate those perceived to be loyalists of Governor Oshiomhole.
“The lawmaker, who was beaten, went there with thugs and it has nothing to do with our lawmakers. Why are they being arrested by the police?
“But we want to warn that any attempt to intimidate our people in Edo State will be resisted. The PDP cannot use federal might to hunt our people. We are still battling Boko Haram, let us not face another war in Edo State, it might be too much for Jonathan to handle.”
