Violent Clash at Benin Airport: Shaibu and Edo State Government in Verbal Spat

In the aftermath of a violent incident that left a Police Inspector dead and several others injured at Benin Airport, the Edo State Government and reinstated Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, are now engaged in a heated exchange over who masterminded the crisis.

According to a petition filed by the State Government to the Inspector-General of Police, Shaibu is accused of orchestrating the violence alongside some APC chieftains. However, Shaibu has denied any involvement, instead accusing the state government’s security agencies of killing the Police Inspector.

The incident occurred on July 18, 2024, when suspected sponsored armed political thugs invaded the airport vicinity, reportedly at the time Shaibu and APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, arrived from Abuja. As a result, Police Inspector Akor Onuh, an orderly attached to the APC candidate, was killed, while several others sustained various degrees of injury.

The State Government’s petition, signed by Prof Faith Osadolor on behalf of the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, urged the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the incident by inviting Shaibu and his supporters. The petition stated that if the accused are found culpable, they should be brought to book.

In his response, Shaibu described the petition as a mere statement devoid of legal substances. He made these comments during a ‘Special Thanksgiving service in appreciation of God’s protection, provision, and grace’ over him and his household on Sunday.

Shaibu claimed that the State Government’s security agencies, including the Edo State Security Network (ESSN) and the State Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV), are responsible for the invasion, killing of the Police Inspector, and shooting of several other persons. He believed that the State Government is struggling to exonerate itself of the crime.

“I don’t want to join issues with useless statements,” Shaibu said. “You can see that they are struggling hard to prove that they have no hands in what has happened. But they know what they have done and are trying to cover it up, but this one they cannot cover it. Particularly when they have killed a police officer. All of them must be picked, they orchestrated it, and the men of the vigilante and PUWOV did that, they killed a policeman and IG must invite them.”

Shaibu also called on President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police to set up a panel of inquiry not only to investigate the incident but also to proscribe vigilantes and the PUWOV.