By DADA AYOKHAI
The Edo State PDP leadership has pointedly accused the police of extortion, claiming it paid N64m before its detained members were released
Hon Tony Aziegbemi, the Edo State PDP chairman, made the allegation in Benin during a press briefing organized to keep the members of the public abreast of happenings in the state political scene
At the briefing, Hon Aziegbemi expressed the party’s frustration over the alleged extortion of N64m by the police before releasing its members who were reportedly arrested
He also challenged the police to come clean about its role in the conflict between the PDP and the APC in the state.
The indiscriminate and random arrests of Edo PDP members began with the fracas at the Benin airport, resulting in the death of the police orderly attached to the APC guber candidate, Sen Monday Okpevbolo.
This incident was the genesis of the acrimony between the state government and the opposition APC.
Hon Aziegbemi said a special unit of the Nigeria Police from Abuja was behind the arrest and detention of its members, adding the party paid N64m before it could secure the release of its detained members
He further expressed concerns about potential future arrests, suggesting that there may be a deliberate plot to disrupt the party’s activities.
He stated, “As we speak, they are planning to arrest more of our members just to make sure we don’t get together to pursue our cause.
“We have decided to provide weekly briefings to keep everyone informed about what is happening in the state’s political scene”.
However, at the time of going to bed, the inspector General of Police office has not yet reacted to the strong allegations of extortion levelled against it by the state leadership of the PDP.
