…drop letter of their planned return

Political thugs suspected to be working for the sacked former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comr. Adams Oshiomhole and the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in the September 19, 2020 election in Edo State, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, at about 11pm on Tuesday, attacked the residence of the Commissioner for Youths, Hon. Damian Lawani in Udaba Ekphei Community, Etsako West Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The Edo State Government had alerted the public on Monday, July 20, through publications in national newspapers that Comrade Oshiomhole and Captain Hosa Okunbo on the prompting of Ize-iyamu, had engaged thugs at a meeting held at Aiguobasimwin in GRA, Benin City, and paid them in advance to cause mayhem in the state. The attack is suspected to be part of the execution of the tasks handed to the thugs.

The gunmen, who met the commissioner’s absence on getting to his house, shot sporadically at other residents, destroying several properties and leaving scores of Lawani’s family members in pains with various degrees of injuries.

The assailants who promised to return to inflict more pains on the commissioner and his family members dropped a message with the inscription: “Damian Lawani, you’re lucky we didn’t meet you at home. But we promise that we’re coming back for you. If you like tighten security.”

Those injured in the attack, however, are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

A resident who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said: “The entire walls of the building were defaced and window panes were shattered with bullets. The vehicle that brought them for the dastardly act was parked in front of the Udaba Ekphei Community Hall as it couldn’t access the road to Damian Lawani’s residence because of its deplorable nature from the tarred road.”

“Between 6pm and 7pm on that fateful evening, the generator in Lawani’s compound was powered for the purpose of pumping water from the motorised borehole to the over-head tank which then created the impression of Lawani’s presence in Udaba Ekphei Community.

“Perhaps, their informant(s) in the community on sighting the light in his compound thought that the commissioner was around and therefore, wrongly informed his or her principal(s) that Lawani was in the village. Hence, they came at about 11pm to carry out the dastardly act.”

“The Udaba Ekphei community residents couldn’t come out as a result of the sporadic gunshots. But we thank God that Hon. Damian Lawani wasn’t actually around for the assailants to accomplish their devilish mission”, he added.