Chairman of Edo State Anti-Pipeline
Vandalisation Committee, Osakpamwan Eriyo, has been suspended by the
state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, following a protest by some Benin
youth over an alleged assault on the person of Uyiekpen Erediauwa, a
Benin prince.
Mr. Eriyo, who was in charge of
anti-pipeline vandalism, and also a revenue collection contractor to
Oredo local government council, was alleged to have beaten Mr.
Erediauwa, son of the Benin monarch and chairman of the transition
committee of Oredo local government last Saturday.
The protesters, made up of Ogbe youth,
Odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), and others, dressed in red attires,
matched through most major streets of Benin metropolis, carrying
placards with various inscriptions like ‘Beating Oba’s son is an
abomination’; ‘Attempt on the prince is an affront on the Benin
palace’. They temporarily forced all activities at the Oredo local
council to a halt as they attempted to force the council staff to close
for the day.
The palace is said to be unhappy over
the ugly development considered a slight to the crown. A
three-paragraph suspension notice signed by Peter Okhiria, chief press
secretary to Governor Oshiomhole, announced the suspension of “Mr.
Osakpanwan Eriyo as chairman of Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation Committee.
Furthermore, all contracts in respect to revenue collection in Oredo
Local Government Area are also hereby suspended with immediate effect.”
‘Verbal altercation’
In a swift reaction to all the
allegations yesterday, Mr. Osakpamwan Eriyo denied assaulting the Benin
Prince, saying he only engaged him “in a verbal altercation.”
According to Mr. Eriyo, “we had a
verbal altercation in the presence of many Action Congress of Nigeria
leaders in Oredo ACN secretariat. I did not beat the chairman. Even a
mad man cannot do that. Even though he is the Oba’s son, we the Benin
people are children of the Oba and we know the consequence of such
misconduct.”
But members of the Nigeria Union of
Local Government Employees (NULGE), Oredo council chapter, at a press
conference yesterday, demanded an unreserved apology from Mr. Eriyo
over his action on Mr. Erediauwa.
Chairman of NULGE in the council,
Agbons Uyigue, disclosed that the past administration of the council
gave Mr. Eriyo the contract for revenue collection at the paltry sum of
N800, 000 per month, contrary to the huge revenue expected as income
generation that accrues to the council on a daily basis.
He further alleged that “statistics
available to us (the workers) have proven that Mr. Eriyo paying N800,
000” as revenue that accrue from Ring Road “is sheer robbery”, adding
that the former contractor that handled the same contract paid the sum
of a million per month to the local government.
It was further learnt that the excesses
of the embattled chairman of the revenue committee led to the
dissolution of the body and subsequent court order obtained by Mr.
Eriyo restraining the local government council from dissolving the
committee.
“We had it on good authority that from
Ring Road to Ugbowo alone, Osakpamwan Eriyo collects as much as N57,
500 on daily basis”, Mr. Uyigue said, which, according to him, totaled
to about N1.8 million a month and that several meetings were called to
settle the lingering feud.
On his part, Mr. Erediauwa told NEXT at
the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His
Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa, that Mr. Eriyo did not only assault him,
but also threatened his life during a meeting of members of the ACN
held on Saturday last week at the secretariat complex of the party at
Owa, on Sapele Road, in the state capital.
He revealed that he intends to seek redress in court of justice over the conduct of the former revenue chairman.
