He said the matter was formally reported to the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, but no concrete action has followed.
Six months after the violent assault on the Convener of the Edo North Unity Forum Worldwide, Comrade Okhai Okhani, by armed vigilantes in Edo State, no suspect has been arrested despite repeated petitions to top police authorities, SaharaReporters has learnt.
SaharaReporters had reported in July 2025 how Okhani was brutally attacked, stripped, and beaten unconscious by armed vigilantes during an award and summit organised by his group in Auchi, Edo North Senatorial District.
However, in a fresh update, Okhani lamented that since the incident, security agencies have failed to apprehend any of the alleged attackers, even though their identities and contact details were reportedly provided to the police.
He said the matter was formally reported to the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, but no concrete action has followed.
“The matter was reported to CP Monday Agbonika of Edo State Command, but hasn’t arrested anyone even when the IG referred another petition we wrote to him to treat and the AIG, Zone 5, Mr Dogo Salma. They have not arrested anyone till date and five of the suspects were known and their names and phone numbers were given to the police, still no arrest,” he stated.
Okhani said that following the failure of the police to bring the alleged attackers to justice, his legal team approached the court.
“My lawyers later sue the parties involved on fundamental human rights, which we’re still in Federal High Court, Benin City,” he said.
Recall that Okhani was attacked on July 26, 2025, during the Edo North Unity Forum Worldwide annual summit, an event he said has been held yearly since 2022 to discuss development, unity, and security challenges in the senatorial district.
According to him, armed vigilantes arrived at the venue in three Hilux vehicles, one Siena bus, and motorcycles.
“My mind was that they came to the summit, because we were to also discuss security matters. From nowhere the leader of the group (vigilantes), Mr Abubakar Aliu AKA AGBOR, asked me if I was Okhani ACTIVIST, I then confused, and said yes. That was how I saw them signal themselves and started beating me, to the point of comma,” he recounted.
He said the attackers later took him to the Auchi Area Command, where he was detained instead of being protected.
“They thought I had died, so they took me to the area commander at Auchi ACP Lawrence Adjidahun. They made a call and gave the phone to the Area Commander, who now instructed his men at the command to detain me at the cell, which they did,” Okhani said.
He added that his family, friends, and guests were initially denied access to him and that he was not allowed to receive immediate medical care.
“After many calls from many prominent individuals to the Area Commander, he later called the council chairman, Hon Valentine Okuilagwe, the Etsako West Local Council. That was how him, the area commander and the council chairman allowed me for hospital,” he said.
Okhani now said he is disillusioned by what he described as deliberate inaction by the police.
“All I want is justice. It is painful that after everything, nobody has been arrested. The case is already in court, yet the people who nearly killed me are walking freely,” he said.