Gov Okpebholo Orders Investigation Into Uromi Killings

Edo State governor Monday Okpebholo has condemned the setting ablaze of some suspected kidnappers by residents of a community in Uromi, Esan Northeast local government area of the state.

The governor, represented by the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Government House, SP Solomon Osaghale, vowed to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law, describing the act as barbaric.

He stressed that such a barbaric act is strange and would not be tolerated in the state.
SP Osaghale said he was in Uromi on the instance of the governor to ascertain the level of damage done and to ensure that proper investigation is carried out to ensure justice and forestall a reoccurrence.
He revealed that investigations have shown that the people who were killed had boarded a commercial truck which was stopped by members of local security and when search was conducted on the vehicle, some guns were discovered, a situation that led to the mob attack by persons around the vicinity.

While condemning the act, he reinstated that nobody has the right to take another man’s life, stressing that the nature of the barbaric killing was a cause of concern to the governor.

“His Excellency, the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo on getting the news of this incident, directed me to immediately come here and find out what transpired as the news of what happened here is a sign of worry to our governor whose desire is to create a prosperous state devoid of dastardly acts like this.

“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 CSO 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 men of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies have been deployed to restore peace and normalcy to the place.

The leader of the Hausa Community in Uromi, Mallam Aliyu Haruna, thanked Governor Okpebholo for his swift response and deployment of security personnel to the community.

Mallam Haruna acknowledged that their presence has brought calm and reassurance to the Hausa Community in the area, as there was palpable fear and unease in their camp following the unfortunate incident which he noted has never happened before in the local government

Similarly, the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the mob action in Uromi which led to the lynching and burning of seven people by an angry mob.

The state PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi attributed the extrajudicial killings to frustration among citizens of the state due to lack of intervention by the state government.

Aziegbemi while reacting to the killings however sympathised with families of the victims whom he said were mindlessly killed.