There was serious pandemonium (with reports of an alleged loss of life) in Benin City today (Tuesday) as youths protested the physical assault on Uyiekpen Erediauwa who is a Benin Prince and son of the Oba of Benin by the Chairman of Edo State Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation Committee, Osakpamwan Eriyo.He has been
more after the jump
suspended by the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, following a protest by some Benin youths .
Mr. Eriyo, who was in charge of anti-pipeline vandalism, and also a revenue collection contractor to Oredo local government council, was alleged to have beaten Mr. Erediauwa, son of the Benin monarch and chairman of the transition committee of Oredo local government last Saturday.
The protesters, made up of Ogbe youth, Odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), and others, dressed in red attires, matched through most major streets of Benin metropolis, carrying placards with various inscriptions like ‘Beating Oba’s son is an abomination’; ‘Attempt on the prince is an affront on the Benin palace’. They temporarily forced all activities at the Oredo local council to a halt as they attempted to force the council staff to close for the day.
The palace is said to be unhappy over the ugly development considered a slight to the crown. A three-paragraph suspension notice signed by Peter Okhiria, chief press secretary to Governor Oshiomhole, announced the suspension of “Mr. Osakpanwan Eriyo as chairman of Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation Committee. Furthermore, all contracts in respect to revenue collection in Oredo Local Government Area are also hereby suspended with immediate effect.”
‘Verbal altercation’
In a swift reaction to all the allegations yesterday, Mr. Osakpamwan Eriyo denied assaulting the Benin Prince, saying he only engaged him “in a verbal altercation.”
According to Mr. Eriyo, “we had a verbal altercation in the presence of many Action Congress of Nigeria leaders in Oredo ACN secretariat. I did not beat the chairman. Even a mad man cannot do that. Even though he is the Oba’s son, we the Benin people are children of the Oba and we know the consequence of such misconduct.”
But members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Oredo council chapter, at a press conference yesterday, demanded an unreserved apology from Mr. Eriyo over his action on Mr. Erediauwa.
Chairman of NULGE in the council, Agbons Uyigue, disclosed that the past administration of the council gave Mr. Eriyo the contract for revenue collection at the paltry sum of N800, 000 per month, contrary to the huge revenue expected as income generation that accrues to the council on a daily basis.
He further alleged that “statistics available to us (the workers) have proven that Mr. Eriyo paying N800, 000” as revenue that accrue from Ring Road “is sheer robbery”, adding that the former contractor that handled the same contract paid the sum of a million per month to the local government.
It was further learnt that the excesses of the embattled chairman of the revenue committee led to the dissolution of the body and subsequent court order obtained by Mr. Eriyo restraining the local government council from dissolving the committee.
“We had it on good authority that from Ring Road to Ugbowo alone, Osakpamwan Eriyo collects as much as N57, 500 on daily basis”, Mr. Uyigue said, which, according to him, totaled to about N1.8 million a month and that several meetings were called to settle the lingering feud.
On his part, Mr. Erediauwa told NEXT at the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa, that Mr. Eriyo did not only assault him, but also threatened his life during a meeting of members of the ACN held on Saturday last week at the secretariat complex of the party at Owa, on Sapele Road, in the state capital.
He revealed that he intends to seek redress in court of justice over the conduct of the former revenue chairman.
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