LAGOS OCTOBER 28TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Delta State Human Right Lawyer, Barr. Ikimi Oghenejabor has petition the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin-City accusing Pastor Blessing Oguori, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Councillor-Elect at Olomu DSIEC Ward 2 of using thugs to snatch ballot boxes, involving in malicious damages and inflicting gravious assault and attempted murder on the lives of James Akpomudje, Isaac Ikpemeku and Oviri Orakata during the council election held on Saturday.
In the petition in which a copy was made available to URHOBOTODAY an online medium Oghenekejabor disclosed that on October 25th, 2014 while party agents were escorting election materials from the Delta State Independent Electoral Office in Otu-Jeremi to various Wards in Olomu Clan in the Ughelli South Local Government Area in a convoy, some election materials including ballot boxes were allegedly diverted before the army checkpoint in Ovwor-Olomo by Pastor Blessing Oguori, Mr. Afide Idisi, Chief Benjohnson Ekere, Mr. Ogbevire Efekoha, Joseph Aketeraye, Gabriel Avwujde and Mr. Jamaica.
According to him, his clients had no option other than to approach the Soldiers at the said Army checkpoint to lodge a complaint of the above sinister act of Pastor Blessing Oguori, the PDP Councilor-Elect Olomu DSIEC Ward 3, adding that while his clients were lodging the complaint, a gang of thugs allegedly led by Pastor Blessing Oguori, including Mr. Afide Idisi, Chief Benjohnson Ekere, Mr. Ogbevire Efekoha, Joseph Aketeraye, Gabriel Avwujde and Mr. Jamaica emerged from nowhere and attacked his clients with knives, axes and other dangerous weapons and in the process destroyed the windscreen of his clients’ car and Mr. James Akpomudje was stabbed while the soldiers at the checking point stood hands akimbo.
“Sympathizers had to call Policemen from the Area Commander’s Office in Ughelli and instead of arresting the culprits, the duo of Messrs Isaac Ikpemeku and Oviri Orakata were arrested and detained at the cell of the Area Command in Ughelli but were later bailed same day, while Mr. James Akpomudje who was bleeding profusely from the stab wounds he sustained was rushed to a private Hospital in Ughelli, where surgery was carried out on him and he is presently recuperating and feeding with the aid of a stroll.
“It is our brief that on Monday, the 27th day of October, 2014 when our clients reported at the Area Commander’s Office in Ughelli, they were re-arrested and taking to the State CID, Asaba under the pretext that our clients were involved in ballot snatching, which indeed was contrary to what happened on the day in question.
“It is our brief that despite the written statements of our clients to the Police both at the Area Commander’s Office and at the State CID, Asaba that the above culprits and their thugs were actually diverting electoral materials on the day in question before they were attacked by them, fell on deaf ears and the Police seems to be taking sides with the culprits, hence this petition to your office,” the petition revealed, just as it appealed to the AIG to order an impartial and an independent investigation into the above complaint of his clients in a bid to prosecuting the above culprits in the Law Court, as justice delayed is justice denied.