The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Wednesday, dismissed the allegation of Police bias levelled by the Edo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Aziegbemi, as an attempt to stop the police from continuing with the investigation of the killing of a police officer, Inspector Akor Onu, on July 18, 2024, at the Benin Airport.
Egbetokun added that the PDP Chairman might as well live with the notion of bias as the Police would not be deterred in its bid to unravel the circumstances leading to the killing of its officer.
Inspector Onuh who was then one of the security details attached to the All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate for the September 21 gubernatorial election in the state, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was shot dead during the fracas that broke out at the Benin Airport, when the impeached deputy governor of the state, Comrade Philip Shaibu, who was reinstated by an Abuja Federal High Court, flew into the state in company of Okpebholo.
The motorcade of Okpebholo and Shaibu came under attack as it drove out of the Airport, and in the ensuing exchange of gunshots, the police officer was hit and he died before he could be taken to the hospital.
With the violence that has characterised the electioneering, and with the serial arrest of PDP members across the state, the party’s State Chairman, Aziegbemi, accused the Police under IGP Egbetokun of bias against the PDP.
Aziegbemi who stated this at a stakeholders meeting in Benin on Wednesday, also said that the state had been peaceful until the police officer, Onu was killed at the Benin Airport on July 18.
He said, “Before the 27th of July, Edo State was very peaceful. All the political parties had conducted their primaries in peaceful manner and people were optimistic of a successful governorship poll.
“After the unfortunate incident at the airport, all hell was let loose. The Nigerian police has been so biased under this IG.
Responding, Egbetokun said the accusation was aimed at truncating the investigation of the killing of Onu, adding that Aziegnemi might as well live forever with his opinion of bias against the Police.
“I think this is from the PDP chairman of the state. You accuse the IG of bais.
“You accuse the IG of being partisan because I am bent on unraveling the killing of a police officer.
“If you hold the opinion that the IG is partisan for going after the killer of the policeman, I think you will remain with that opinion forever,” Egbetokun maintained.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, it would also be recalled, had earlier while receiving the Chairman of the National Peace Accord Committee (NPAC), and former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar (Rtd), accused the Police of bias against the PDP, threatening that the PDP might not sign the Peace Accord scheduled for Thursday.
