The Edo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area of the state, Collins Aigbogun, for alleged political violence in the area.
The Commissioner, Edo State Police Command, CP Nemi Edwin-Iwo, confirmed the arrest to newsmen on Tuesday in Benin.
Edwin-Iwo said Aigbogun had, however, been moved to Abuja by the Force Criminal Investigation Department over the matter.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the All Progressives Congress in Edo State had petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, fingering Aigbogun’s involvement in alleged political violence in Illeh community.
Edwin-Iwo said Aigbogun was brought to the Criminal Investigation Department of the command on Monday by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area upon police invitation.
He said: “Yes, he was invited and he reported himself to the police and we later discovered that he has other criminal charges against him.
“What happened was that he brutalised somebody in the course of an altercation between himself and other party members.
“He was invited, and the DPO in the area brought him to the State CID where it was discovered that earlier before now, he had other charges against him.
“Our men from FID came and said that the man had earlier been wanted, and there was now a need for them to take him along so that they can investigate his matter.
“That was how he was moved to Abuja.
“The whole thing is being investigated, and I hope that at the end of the day, if there is nothing against him, he will be brought back to Benin.”
On the command’s readiness for the September 21 governorship election in the state, the CP warned non-state actors to stay clear of the election.
He said: “We are going to create an environment where we will have a free and fair election and make the environment enabling so that anybody can walk freely without any molestations or intimidations.
“I want to reemphasise as the INEC has done earlier that non-state actors are not supposed to carry arms and are not part of the election at all.
“So, all that we are doing now before the election is to make sure that we clear all illegal arms as much as we can.
“The operation is ongoing, and I have operatives virtually in all the local government areas now.”
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