Tension In Edo As Police Beef Up Security At Governorship Tribunal

The Edo State Police Command has intensified security at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Benin City, following escalating tensions and violent clashes during the first week of hearings.

The tribunal, sitting at the High Court Complex on Sapele Road, has witnessed disturbances, including shootings and attempts by thugs to disrupt proceedings.

Naija News understands that governorship election results, declared last September, are being challenged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties.

Speaking exclusively to Punch on Sunday, the spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Moses Yamu, said additional officers had been deployed to prevent further breaches of peace.

He said, “It is our responsibility to ensure there’s no breach of peace at the tribunal and adequate deployment have been made in this regard.

“The message remains same. Let the game be played according to the rules.”

Earlier in a statement on January 16, 2025 titled ‘Commissioner of police orders investigation into a viral video of a shooting incident in Edo State’, the state command had ordered an investigation into the shooting incident.

The statement read, “The attention of the Edo State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video of a weapon-bearing young man firing shots in the air and later zooming off in an unmarked white Hilux vehicle to a yet to be identified location in Edo State.

“However, the Command categorically states that, no shooting incident occurred at the High Court on 15/01/2025, during Election Tribunal sitting, as adequate security measures were deployed to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.

“Nevertheless, the Commissioner of Police, Umoru Ozigi, has ordered investigation into the incident, with a view to unraveling the identity and location and of the young man in the viral video for prosecution.”