The Edo State Police Command has apprehended Julius Abure, the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, IgbereTV reports.
Abure’s arrest on Wednesday stems from allegations of premeditated attempted murder and other purported infractions. The LP Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia, filed a petition leading to Abure’s arrest.
In the petition dated February 13 and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Comrade Eragbe Anselm urgently addresses a grievous act of violence perpetrated against him on December 29, 2023.
It reads; “I am a member and National Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria, and the events I am about to recount are of utmost importance for justice and the safety of individuals involved in political activities.
“On December 28, 2023, I flew into Benin City Airport around 2 p.m. as part of an official 5-member delegation authorised by the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Lamidi Basiru Apapa.
“Our mission was to organise Ward, LGA, and State Congresses in Edo State, as well as supervise the sale of nomination forms for various posts, as mandated by INEC guidelines, within the stipulated time frames.
“On arrival at the Benin Airport, I was received by one Mrs Mary Okheime Newberry, who falsely claimed to be providing transportation and accommodation on behalf of unnamed “stakeholders.”
“She proceeded to lodge us at the Smart Homes Hotel, unknown to us that she was plotting a sinister and gruesome ambush. The next morning, a man named Austin Emeka came to pick me and my colleague, Mr Patrick Anethua, up from the hotel lobby, pretending to take us to a meeting venue. Instead, we were violently attacked just outside the hotel gates by a waiting mob.
“The exact timing and sequence of events leave no doubt that this attack was meticulously premeditated for maximum vicious impact. As we exited the hotel gates, a gang of over 60 armed thugs appeared from hiding and completely surrounded our vehicle, blocking any escape. Before we could react, they began smashing the car windows using axes, machetes, and sticks. They rained heavy blows on me and Mr. Anethua with murderous intent. We were dragged out, bleeding and defenceless, convinced we were taking our last breaths. The videos, which I have attached to this petition, show the crazed mob bellowing that Julius Abure was the only national chairman they recognised. They categorically stated that they would kill me for belonging to Alhaji Apapa’s faction and would also murder Apapa if they found him in Edo State.
“This conclusively proves a political assassination attempt sponsored and masterminded by Julius Abure and one Kelly Ogbaloi, who claims to be the State Chairman of the Party, with clear instructions to completely prevent the ward congresses from taking place at any cost through violence.
“The entire sequence of the ambush was coordinated by Kelly Ogbaloi’s suspended Public Relations Officer, one Sam Uropa, who can be distinctly identified in videos directing the mob during the assassination attempt.
“By feigning ignorance and planning our movement, Mrs Okheime and Mr Emeka played crucial roles in deliberately trapping us in the ambush based on inside knowledge of our itinerary. Their actions thoroughly implicate them as co-conspirators in implementing the assassination plot masterminded by Abure and Ogbaloi.
“The videos show the mob openly mentioning my official designation as National Youth Leader of the Apapa faction as the reason why they wished to snuff the life out of my body. Thus, the underlying motive was unambiguously political. Abure and Ogbaloi engineered this murderous ambush as a desperate tactic to violently disrupt the legitimate organisational activities of our Party in Edo State using maximum force.
“The videos irrefutably document that the mob did not just assault us but also shamelessly robbed us of valuables and cash worth millions of Naira at the scene of the crime. This exposes their role as common criminals in addition to being implements of political terrorism. The items stolen from our persons included my HP Envy laptop worth over N2.1 million, a Tecno Camon mobile phone worth N500,000, as well as $75,000 in cash, set aside specifically for financing the logistics of the impending state congress mobilisation activities. Additionally, they deprived me of two custom medicated eyeglasses costing N400,000, along with other items like wristwatches, chains, perfumes, ID cards, and cash totalling over N1.9 million belonging to both Mr Anethua and myself. The grand total of cash and items robbed exceeds N4.9 million and $75,000. The daylight robbery of such huge sums of cash proves that Abure and Ogbaloi motivated the gang through assurances of generous looting of valuables.
“This investigation should interrogate their regional thug leaders and local goons to trace this stolen cash and understand their corrupted system of dispensing violence, crime, and terror as political favours.
“As if the heinous crimes of attempted murder/political assassination, causing grievous bodily harm, criminal conspiracy, and robbery were not enough, Abure and Ogbaloi continue to brazenly flout the restraining order of April 5, 2023, by the FCT High Court, barring them from parading as Labour Party officials after proof of their forgeries and impersonation of party officers. They stand indicted for various offences by several competent Nigerian courts and the Nigerian police, following forensic investigations, uncovered their forgeries, lies, and fraudulent misrepresentations.
“In light of the overwhelming evidence implicating them, which includes video, audio, photos, multiple eyewitnesses, victims’ testimonies, and their established prior pattern of lawlessness, I strongly demand the following:
1. The immediate arrest, via covert operations, if needed, of masterminds Barrister Julius Abure and Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi as the prime suspects who commissioned, sponsored, planned, authorised, and orchestrated the attempted assassination of Mr. Anethua and myself.
2. Arrest and interrogation of their loyal agents, including but not limited to Comrade Sam Uropa (08064797804), Mrs. Mary Okheime Newberry, Ken Omusi (07032733420), Jeff Scott-Emuakpor (07056452432), “Lucious” (07060496671), Franklin (08164084137) and Mr. Austin Emeka, who played indispensable roles in trapping me, tracking my movements, and the final execution of the violent ambush.
3. Identification and arrest of all 60 thugs involved in perpetrating the attack using video evidence that clearly shows their faces. CCTV footage from the hotel and surrounding areas will also expose the criminals.
4. Interrogation of the above suspects to identify and prosecute every single sponsor of this attack at the LGA, State, and National levels within the Labour Party ecosystem.
5. Immediate freezing of financial assets and bank accounts of Abure, Ogbaloi, and other prime suspects to enable tracing of the funds used to organise, mobilise, and deploy the armed mob for this crime.
6. Prompt prosecution of Abure, Ogbaloi, and all the identified suspects for criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, malicious damage to property, and other relevant offences.
7. Investigation into the role of any INEC officials, staff, and insiders who may have illegally colluded with Abure and Ogbaloi in furtherance of their crimes by flouting the judicial restraining order.
8. Intervention to sanitise the Labour Party structure across the country by ridding it of all corrupt and violent elements with criminality running through their veins, who are essentially desecrating the party’s ideals, ethos, constitution, and democratic principles.
9. Provide me and other stakeholders with matching armed security to prevent victimisation, as we reorganise and rebuild the Labour Party to abide by its founding values of justice, transparency, and internal democracy.
“I respectfully urge you to urgently intervene with your full constitutional powers as law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute Abure, Ogbaloi, and their hired goons who have openly declared disdain for the law through this brazen and barbaric attack.
“Their violent actions and deceit threaten the peace, safety, lives and constitutional order. Decisive action against them will prove that no entity is above the law. Justice must be served most expeditiously.
“I am available and willing to provide any additional information and/or evidence that may help accelerate your investigations and bring same to swift closure.
“I remain confident in your avowed commitment to law, order, justice and accountability and look forward to a thorough, professional and objective outcome.”
