Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Festus Ebea
The Deputy Verbalizer of the Edo State House of Assembly, Festus Ebea, on Sunday verbally expressed that his convoy was assailed by unknown gunmen near Abudu in the Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
Ebea verbally expressed that himself; the Edo Assembly Minority Leader, Emmanuel Okoduwa; and Patrick Iluobe, were peregrinating to Benin City, the Edo State capital, from Esan in the Edo Central Senatorial District, when the assailants accosted them around 1pm.
The PUNCH learnt that the lawmakers were returning from Ebele, Igueben Local Government Area of the state, where they had attended an investiture of the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Anthony Anenih, by the Anglican Church.
The three were verbalized to be inside an SUV belonging to one of the lawmakers and were returning to Benin in a convoy consisting of some other conveyances when the assailants ceased their conveyances at Abudu and opened fire on them.
Ebea verbally expressed one of the gunmen was however killed during an exchange of fire that followed between the assailants and the security operatives annexed to the deputy verbalizer. One of the drivers in the convoy of the lawmakers was additionally verbally expressed to have been shot and was receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital.
The Edo State chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, verbally expressed the lawmakers’ conveyances were just ahead of his own when the incident transpired and that it was conspicuous that the lawmakers were the primary targets of the assailment.
Orbih verbally expressed, “They (the lawmakers) were confronted with a hail of bullets. The event they attended was well publicised and it is conspicuous that the assailment was aimed at them.
“We call on the police to investigate and ascertain the people abaft the assailment.
“However, we thank God for preserving their lives from blood-thirsty political assassins.”
The PDP chairman, who verbally expressed that a report had been made at the Abudu police station, verbalized he was apprehensive that the assailment on the lawmakers occurred not quite long after some of the members of the Edo State House of Assembly had defected the PDP
When contacted on Sunday night, the Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State Command, Noble Umoh, verbally expressed that he had not been briefed about the matter and that he was still endeavoring to reach the Divisional Police Officer at the Abudu police station.
There has been a lingering crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly since the suspension of the deputy verbalizer and three PDP lawmakers on June 9.
Copyright PUNCH.
