In connection with the train attack on January 7 that resulted in the kidnapping of 20 people at the Igueben train station, the Edo Government has verified the arrest of two village chiefs.
Chris Nehikhare, the state’s commissioner for communication and orientation, revealed that security personnel had also freed the two remaining captive passengers. Nehikhare also said that seven additional individuals had been detained in connection with the event.
He made the announcement shortly after Wednesday’s state executive council meeting in Benin.
Nehikhare said, “The success story in the kidnapping is that five persons and two village chiefs have been arrested in connection with the incident and they are helping with investigations,” he said.
When prompted for the identities of the village leaders, he responded that the police should be contacted for more information.
Chidi Nwabuzor, a spokesman for the state police, could not be reached for comment because his phone was off.
The chiefs were, however, declared to be innocent by Benson Odia, the executive director of Esan Youth for Good Governance and Social Justice, who also noted that their detention had political overtones, to our correspondent.
He said, “You see, the government is playing politics. The chiefs were never accused of being a perpetrator or whatever. The arrest of those chiefs and the traditional rulers has political undertone because these days they are now partisan. They are not supporting his political party that is why the governor is trying to use them as scapegoats.”
Odia said banditry was not only taking place in Igueben forest and Udo forest but “because there was a train attack, the governor is now trying to use some traditional rulers as scapegoats.’’
He added, “Even in Edo North in Akoko Edo, the local government of deputy governor, kidnappers are on rampage there and Fulani are also grazing cows. Those traditional rulers are not kidnappers. They were never involved in criminal activities. The governor just wants to embarrass them. We are aware that the traditional rulers have been remanded.”
