The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of Zone 5, Benin, Mr. Arungwa Nwazule, on Wednesday night disclosed that the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Julius Abure, was arrested in Benin City, Edo State capital, for “conspiracy, brutal assault, attempted murder, armed robbery, grievous harm and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.”
AIG Nwazule, in a four-paragraph statement endorsed by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Tijani Momoh, said Abure was arrested alongside the Edo State Chairman of LP, Mr. Kelly Ogbaloi, Ken Omusi, Simeon Obehi and two others.
This was just as the AIG denied that Abure was assaulted by the police personnel who effected his arrest, stating that rather, those around the LP National Chairman at the time of his arrest were the ones who asked Abure to sit on the bare ground and then circulated the video to gain public sympathy and portray the police in bad light before members of the public.
The state also disclosed that those around the embattled LP boss attempted to prevent his arrest, and in the process, a pump action gun and three rounds of ammunition were recovered from them.
Abure’s arrest, the AIG Zone 5 emphasized, was based on “a strong worded petition addressed to the
Inspector General of Police, GP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM”, which was minuted to the AIG Zone 5 for investigation .The statement reads:
“Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin City wish to confirm the arrest of the National Chairman of the Labour Party of Nigeria, Mr Julius Abure, Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, Ken Omusi, Simeon Obehi, and two others. The arrest is as a result of a strong worded petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM, the Petition was endorsed by the office of the IGP to the AIG Zone 5 Benin for discreet investigation.
“Detectives of the Zone upon surveillance and with warrants of arrest apprehended the National Chairman, Julius Abure, Kelly Ogbaloi and others with a Pump action Gun and three rounds of live ammunition.
“It is expedient to state that contrary to false narratives on the social media, the National Chairman was never assaulted by the Police detectives, in the process of effecting the arrest, some persons with the Chairman violently obstructed the detectives from carrying out a lawful arrest. They made the Chairman seat on the ground so as to get sympathy from members of the public.
“The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin City, comprising Delta and Edo State Police Commands, AIG ARUNGWA NWAZUE, psc (+), mni, has directed speedy investigation into the matter, and anyone found culpable will be arraigned in Court.”
