By Naijatruth
The Edo State Police Command has detained Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), over accusations of plotting a murderous assault on a party member.
Abure was apprehended on Wednesday in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, after a complaint was filed by the LP Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia. The complaint, dated February 13 and addressed to the Edo State Police Commissioner, reads in part: “I, Comrade Eragbe Anselm, urgently and solemnly appeal to you for justice and protection from a brutal act of violence that I suffered on December 29, 2023.
“I am the National Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria, and I am about to narrate a horrific incident that threatens the lives and rights of those who participate in political activities.
“On December 28, 2023, I arrived at Benin City Airport around 2 p.m. as part of a sanctioned 5-member delegation led by the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Lamidi Basiru Apapa.
“Our task was to conduct Ward, LGA, and State Congresses in Edo State, and to oversee the distribution of nomination forms for various positions, as required by INEC guidelines, within the given deadlines.
“Upon landing at the Benin Airport, I was greeted by a woman named Mrs Mary Okheime Newberry, who pretended to be arranging transportation and lodging for us on behalf of some “stakeholders.”
“She took us to the Smart Homes Hotel, without us knowing that she was setting up a vicious and bloody trap. The following morning, a man called Austin Emeka came to fetch me and my colleague, Mr Patrick Anethua, from the hotel reception, claiming to take us to a meeting place.
“Instead, we were ambushed and assaulted by a hostile crowd just outside the hotel entrance.”