The residents claimed that Obaseki’s deputy escorted some thugs into the village as they shot sporadically at residents.
Residents of Apana Village, Edo State, in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, accused Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, of shooting at residents during a rally of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The residents claimed that Obaseki’s deputy escorted some thugs into the village as they shot sporadically at residents.
Narrating the experience, the residents said a teenager was hit by a bullet in the arm while another person was hit by a bullet in the hip.
The residents identified some of the thugs, who invaded the community as Umasor Umoru, Itotoi Imonikhe, Momodu Salafa and Emmanuel Irekpita.
“The governor's convoy arrived at the square. At this time we had all ran away and hid in different positions where we could safely observe the happenings. The deputy governor of Edo State, Hon. Philip Shaibu, came down from his vehicle and escorted by his security aides, he started supervising the destruction of properties in the village square.
“The gunmen ran towards Oduge Quarters where they identified a Peugeot 505 Station Wagon belonging to a local APC chieftain, Wilson Idaewor. Thankgod Okhumaoya immediately ordered that the vehicle should be destroyed.
“The hooded men and Thankgod descended on the vehicle breaking the front and back windshields, the side windows, mirrors etc.
“Mr. Thankgod Okhumaoya started identifying shops and properties belonging to APC members that should be destroyed all around the village square.
“Thankgod Okhumaoya ordered that they should go and burn down Chief Lucky James house which was quite a distance from the village square at the end of Oduge quarters.
“On their way to Chief Lucky James house, they continued to shoot in all directions and in the process hit a teenage boy, Samuel Sabageh who was sleeping inside the house when a pellet hit him in the arm.
“They also hit one Mr. Samuel Anerua who was sitting in a bar near the village square when stray bullets hit him in the arm and in the hips. Ms. Elizabeth Sunday the daughter of an APC leader in the community, was shot on the head while frying garri in front of her father's house, while Evaristus Emuekpere's ear was brushed by a flying pellet,” the residents’ letter to the IG read.
They wrote that after the rally, the hoodlums waited behind and continued threatening the residents of the village.
They also said that in another attack, the thugs reinforced and embarked on another shooting spree.
“At about 1:00am, four Toyota Hilux trucks with one of them painted blue and carrying revolving lights entered the village.
“They stopped at Victor Oshioke's house where the occupants sprayed his security house with a hail of bullets.
“They went to the neighbouring house where Mr. Imonikhe JB Idaewor, an APC youth leader lives and sprayed it with a hail of bullets. They drove down the street to Mr. Wilson Idaewor's house and sprayed it with bullets.
“Finally, they went to Mr. Udukhokhai Jimoh's house and sprayed it with bullets before driving out of the community,” they added.