Edo state continues to descend into political violence as thugs believed to be working for the Peoples Democratic Party stormed the Legislators quarters in Benin, the capital.
Thirty-six (36) cars and and seven houses were vandalised in the attacks carried out early Saturday.
Armed with guns and all manners of weapons, they invaded the homes of the assemblymen, broke window glasses, vandalised stationary cars. And they were at it for hours without any restraint offered by the Nigerian police.
Yesterday, it took the intervention of soldiers to disperse the thugs who had stormed the Benin Airport, as part of the welcoming party for President Goodluck Jonathan, who visited the Benin to lay the foundation stone for the $1 billion Azura-Edo state power project.
The hoodlums assaulted some senior officials of the Edo State Government, including Secretary to the State Government, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Anselm Ojezua and some civil commissioners.
Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions including placards of some PDP aspirants, the thugs disrupted activities at the Airport for several minutes as a combined team of soldiers and Policemen had a hectic time controlling them.
On Thursday, a suspended member of the House, Abdulrazak Momoh, who had crossed to the PDP, was attacked by security men attached to the quarters, leading to the arrest of the Majority leader, Philip Shaibu and another member of the house, Sunday Aghedo and three other persons. They were charged on Friday with assault by the Nigerian police.
Also arraigned with the lawmakers were Eboise Emmanuel, 38; Promise Ogiso, 23 and Ernest Arasomwan, 26.
The five accused persons are standing trial on a two-count charge of committing felony and assault.
Here are the photos of today’s violence, the trail of destruction left by them:
