Former Edo State Governor, John Odigie-Oyegun, has narrated how he and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), including Peter Obi, narrowly escaped an attack by gunmen in Benin City.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after ADC leaders formally received former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and Labour Party’s Edo 2024 governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, into the party.
According to eyewitness accounts cited by Vanguard, armed men stormed the ADC secretariat located on Ogbelaka Street, off Sokponba Road, in Benin City. The attackers, said to have arrived in an unmarked Sienna bus and on a motorcycle, allegedly opened fire indiscriminately and vandalised party property, including chairs, canopies and banners. Several members were reportedly injured during the attack.
The assailants were said to have proceeded to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence on Reservation Road, where gunshots were again heard and vehicles parked near the gate were riddled with bullets.
Speaking to journalists, Odigie-Oyegun disclosed that the party leaders had received prior intelligence warning of a possible attack.
“Halfway through the proceedings, we got an intelligence report from one of the security agencies that the venue was going to be attacked and that we should wind up,” he said. “You can’t ignore such information, so we cut short the meeting. We were barely lucky to have left in time because shortly after, all hell broke loose.”
He alleged that the attackers arrived in multiple vehicles and operated without resistance. “People came in about 10 vehicles, shooting all over the place. People were injured,” he stated.
The former governor questioned what he described as a lack of coordinated security response, expressing concern over the ease with which the gunmen allegedly carried out the operation.
“There was no cooperation or coordination between the security agencies such that the venue would receive emergency protection,” he said. “This is a state with a sitting governor, and the first duty of any government is to protect lives and property.”
On the attack at his residence, Odigie-Oyegun said Obi had been visiting him at the time of the incident. He claimed there had been prior warnings suggesting that the former Anambra State governor’s security could not be guaranteed if he visited Edo State without permission.
“We had a guest — the former governor of Anambra and a prominent ADC leader. He was paying me a courtesy visit when bullets started raining all over the place,” he said, describing the development as a troubling sign of political intolerance.
Obi, while recounting his experience, called for urgent action from authorities.
“It is time to speak up. It is time those in government act,” he said. “They are not going to be there forever. What they allow to happen in the country today will take its revenge on all of us and the country.”
