Tony Osauzo, Benin
Residence of the Secretary of Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Lawrence Okah, has been attacked with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Benin.
The impact of the explosion damaged part of the building and created a crater in the compound, even as second device failed to explode.
The attack which was carried out on Monday, is coming barely 10 days after similar attack was carried out on the residence of a chieftain of the party, Fransis Inegbeneki in Benin.
Reacting to the incident yesterday, Okah pointedly accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of plotting to kill him over second term ambition.
Conducting journalists round his residence, Okah disclosed that gunmen had last Tuesday fired shots at his bedroom, alleging that Governor Obaseki had earlier threatened him and has carried out the threat with the attacks.
“On Tuesday, last week, I heard gunshots. They shot at my bedroom. The police came and picked 52 bullets here.
“Yesterday, at about 12:30, I heard a noise like bomb. I called my security and they said it sounded like a bomb. The one they threw at my bedroom did not detonate. If that one has detonated, I will not be talking to you now.
“That was targeted to my room. If it had exploded, it would have been a different story. I just want to advise Mr. Governor. He has threatened me before and he has carried out the threat.
“By the grace of God we are alive to speak to our people to let them know what is going on. We pray to God for those we help not to turn around against us. If by the grace of God, I am one of those that helped this government to be and the governor has turned now to be my enemy.”
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who was present at Okah’s residence with other top APC stalwarts, said Governor Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu must not kill to get second term, threatening to arrest the perpetrators if the police failed to arrest them.
In his response, Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said the state chapter of the APC was peaceful until the EPM and its enablers commenced their nefarious activities across the state.
“We are quite flustered that Oshiomhole has not been able to rein in his people in the face of the reconstitution of the APC National Reconciliation Committee, tasked to restore lasting peace in the party both in the state and across the country. We are committed to peace and would do right by continually supporting all credible means to arrive at a lasting peace in the state. At the same time, we want to state clearly that Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and their cohorts are the common denominators of political violence in Edo State.
“On October 19, 2014, this same Ize-Iyamu announced that his house along Dennis Osadebey Way, GRA, Benin, where his wife carries out her dental practice, was bombed and at that time, he pointedly stated that Oshiomhole, who was then governor of the state, was responsible for the attack.
“From that time till now, there has been a cessation of the use of explosives and other dangerous weapons in causing mayhem and heating up the political space in the state.
“It is therefore rather curious that with the same Ize-Iyamu coming back into the political space in the last three months, extreme political violence has resurfaced with bombs going off in parts of the state and gunmen attacking politically-exposed persons.
“We have stated before that the EPM, under the sponsorship of Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu and others, having lost out of the political power-play in the state and failed repeatedly in their inordinate quest to seize power from Obaseki through undemocratic means, have now resorted to violence to create a sense of a breakdown of law and order with the intent of forcing the declaration of a state of emergency in the state,” he said.