By Jethro Ibileke
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo has ordered a full investigation into the setting ablaze of some suspected kidnappers by residents of a community in Uromi, North-East Local Government Area of the State.
The Governor, who disclosed this at the scene of the incident, where he was represented by the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Government House, SP Solomon Osaghale, condemned the incident in the strongest terms.
He described the act as barbaric and condemnable, even as he vowed to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law.
He stressed that such a barbaric act is strange in our climes and will not be tolerated in the State.
SP Osaghale said he was in Uromi at the Governor’s insistence to ascertain the level of damage done and ensure that a prompt investigation is carried out to ensure justice and forestall a reoccurrence.
He revealed that investigations have shown that the people who were killed had boarded a commercial truck and were stopped by members of local security who, upon search of the vehicle, discovered some guns, a situation that led to the mob attack by persons around the vicinity.
While condemning the act, he reiterated that nobody has the right to take another man’s life, stressing that the nature of the barbaric killing was a cause of concern to the Governor.
SP Oseghale said: “His Excellency, the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo on getting the news of this incident, directed me to immediately come here and find out what transpired as the news of what happened here is a sign of worry to our Governor whose desire is to create a prosperous State void of dastardly acts like this.
“I can assure you that the people involved in this unprovoked attack will not go scot-free, as His Excellency has directed the Commissioner of Police to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter. As I speak now, over four persons have been arrested for their involvement in this ugly incident,” he said.
The CSO called for calm, while assuring the law-abiding residents of Uromi, especially the Hausa Community in the area, to go about their daily activities, as men of the Nigerian police force and other security agencies have been deployed to restore peace and normalcy to the place.
Appreciating the Governor for his swift response, the leader of the Hausa Community in Uromi, Mallam Aliyu Haruna, thanked Governor Okpebholo for deploying the CSO and other security personnel to the community.
Mallam Haruna acknowledged that their presence has brought calm and reassurance to the Hausa Community in the area, as there was palpable fear and unease in their camp following the unfortunate incident, which he noted has never happened before in the local government.
Haruna said: “We want to sincerely thank the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, for his swift response to the occurrence of this ugly incident. I must tell you that this is the first time a thing like this is happening in Uromi, and it baffles me because Uromi people have been so accommodating to us in the Hausa Community.
“Over the years, we have lived peacefully among the indigenes. Our sojourn in this land has spanned over seventy years. I was given birth to here, and so are many other people you are seeing here today.”