By Our Correspondent
Former transition chair of Owan West Local Government Council of Edo State and a serving member of Edo State House of assembly, Hon. Ojo Asein has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Hon. Ohiro Ezomon by the operatives of Nigerian Directorate of Security Service (DSS).
DSS operatives hinted our correspondent that Hon. Asein has numerous questions to answer and has therefore been detained at the Abuja Headquarters.
It would be recalled that Mr. Ezomon defeated Hon. Asein in a blood-soaked primary election contested by the duo in November last year.
He is fingered in the kidnapping of Mr. Ezomon, due to the violence he (Asein) allegedly visited on the All Progressives Congress state officials whom the party leadership delegated to conduct the primary election last year and other local party members at the venue of the APC primary that produced his then opponent, Mr. Ezomon as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming Saturday March 9, 2019 House of Assembly election in Edo State .
One of the APC state’s official delegated to conduct the primary election who craved anonymity told our correspondent that Hon. Ojo Asein and his thugs chased them away from the Local Government Headquarters, the venue of the primary at Sabogida-Ora until they sought refuge in the house of former Deputy Governor, Rev. Peter Obadan.
“I have, all my life, never seen such bloodthirsty notorious political gangster who likened himself to quasi-mythical political figures like Ojo Asein.
“Hon. Asein and his band of thugs chased us with the electoral materials to Rev. Obadan’s house with cutlasses and guns.
“We were held hostage for over seven hours in Obadan’s house while vehicles were destroyed and burnt, human skulls broken amidst clatters of bumming guns.
“It took the intervention of the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki through phone calls to Hon. Ojo Asein and his collaborators before we could manage to escape to Benin City via Owan East route”, he said.
APC’s chieftains in the local government have told of Hon. Asein boastful grandstanding that he has the backing of the governor and that Oshiomhole and the deputy governor combined are too small for him to deal with.
Mr. Friday Okele, APC ward 08 chair in Owan West attests to Hon. Ojo Asein’s brutal political thuggery and intimidation.
“I was attacked and brutalized by Hon. Ojo Asein and his army of thugs for refusing to support his second term ambition because his first and second time as chairman and house of assembly member for three years running were colossal failure.
Mr. Friday Okele presented his litigation suit to the press with pictures of his battered face and body injuries along with Hon. Asein’s apology letter to him and his lawyer Mr. Afolabi sqr. to withdraw the suit against him.
As chair of the local government, it was alleged that Hon. Asein corruptly enriched himself to a total sum of N15 billion, set the council account department ablaze and killed the council account staff/officer, Mr. Friday Ohiorenuan who vowed to expose his alleged looting of the council funds.
The last is yet to be held on the arrest of Asein as the people are waiting patiently for justice with bathed breathes, he said.
