Edo: Thugs attack ex-APC gov’ship aspirant

Blessing Agbomhere, a former aspirant of the APC in the September 28 governorship election in Edo State, was yesterday attacked by suspected political thugs at Benin Airport.

Agbomhere, who was attacked alongside his friend, Moses Siasia, a former deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in Bayelsa State, alleged that he was attacked by thugs loyal to the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, wit whom he said they boarded the same flight from Abuja.

“As soon as I alighted from the plane, unknown suspected criminals descended on me and my friend while shouting ‘kill them,’ ‘assassinate them,’ before police came to our rescue,” he said.

Agbomhere said he and his friend were injured by the assailants.

He alleged that he was being attacked for standing for the truth, “but nobody can deter me from holding public officers accountable to the people because politics is for development and not destruction,” he said.

On his part, Moses Siasia, said they were saved following the intervention of the Delta State Police Commissioner, Zanna Ibrahim and his men, who also boarded the same plane from Abuja.

When contacted on phone, the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Musa Ebhomiana, described Agbomhere’s claim as “cheap blackmail.”

According to him, the deputy governor “could not have descended so low to attack a brother and a member of the party, who hailed from the same senatorial district with him.”

The Police Public Relation Officer in the state, Moses Nkombe confirmed the incident, saying investigation was on-going.