Johnson Erijo, a member of the Delta State Assembly, is in trouble on allegations of gun running and recruitment of fake police and military personnel during the April 26 state legislative and governorship elections.
Johnson Erijo, a member of the Delta State Assembly, is in trouble on allegations of gun running and recruitment of fake police and military personnel during the April 26 state legislative and governorship elections.
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Reliable sources told Saharareporters that Mr. Erijo, who represents Isoko South constituency 11 in the state assembly, was arrested by men of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) on the orders of Hafiz Ringim, the Inspector General of Police.
Mr. Erijo, whose re-election into the Delta House of Assembly is being challenged at the electoral tribunal sitting in Asaba, was reportedly arrested at his official residence in the state. He was taken to the Delta State police command, the first stop before his relocation to Abuja for questioning. However, a source within the Delta police command told Saharareporters that some of the state’s top police officers as well as Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan intervened swiftly to frustrate plans to take the rogue lawmaker to Abuja for further questioning on the allegations against him.
Ewomazino Enifoghale Nelson, a candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Mr. Erijo’s main opponent, had sent a petition to the IG of Police detailing Erijo’s involvement in gun running, recruitment of fake police and military personnel as well as other alleged criminal acts.
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Saharareporters obtained a copy of the petition dated April 29, 2011 and titled “Criminal Act, Malicious Practice, Gun Running, Recruitment of Fake Police and Military Personnel, Snatching of Ballot Boxes and Criminal Assault By Johnson Erijo and his Cohorts.” In the petition, Mr. Nelson accused Erijo of running a syndicate that specialized in gun running and recruitment of fake police and military personnel to intimidate the people of Isoko South local government area of Delta State during the election. The petition stated that Mr. Erijo’s illegal activities represented new violent means of rigging elections, adding that the acts dented the image of the military and police.
The petitioner reported that his opponent hired some thugs to disrupt the elections, intimidate voters, and hijack ballot papers. The petition named Ureghe Jackson, Ofremu Furchen, Ofremu Oghale, Simeon Orogun, Kofi Idume, Hezekiah Erijo, Margaret Cousin, Frank Ikemu, Shadrack Idioyibo and Moses Emonena (a.k.a HRH) as some of the thugs.
The ACN state assembly candidate stated that eligible voters had lined up as early as 7.00 a.m. in Aviara, one of the communities in the constituency, but that Mr. Erijo’s thugs, including Johnson Erijo, Ureghe Jackson, Ofremu Oghale, Ekete Uzuazuviemu, Benson Aluya, and Oghale Omafeni hijacked the ballot materials, put them in several vehicles and sped away to Mr. Erijo’s home where PDP agents illegally thumb printed the ballots. The petition listed the getaway vehicles that took away the ballots as a Volkswagen Gulf car with registration number DT 520 ASB, another Volkswagen Gulf car registration (840 LEH), a white Toyota Hilux van with the registration number DT 07-001 and a blue Honda Accord with registration number MN 05 KJA
The petition identified some of the thumb printers as Omomoh Odomero, Sarkis Ureghe, Enekorue Ighohowho, Ego Escoba and Stephen Agabri. It accused some members of the Nigeria police posted to Aviara Ward 03 of also assisting the PDP thugs in manhandling a few people who rebuked their unwholesome conduct.
The ACN candidate disclosed that he had immediately notified both the electoral officer in charge of Isoko South constituency 11 as well as the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Isoko South about the hijacking of election materials by agents of his PDP opponent, but that neither official took any action.
Saharareporters tried to contact Mr. Erijo on his mobile line (0803.742.0762), but the embattled lawmaker neither picked up his calls nor responded to text messages.
A police source told Saharareporters that Governor Uduaghan and top police officers in the state police command were frustrating the efforts of the FCID team that arrested Mr. Erijo to take the lawmaker to their headquarters in Abuja for questioning.
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