THE President of Esan Youth Movement, Mr. Kingsley Ohens has described as mischievous and a clear act of inhumanity to humanity, the fresh charges of arms possession brought by the Attorney General of Edo State against the 10 Esan youths currently in detention for allegedly stoning Governor Godwin Obaseki at Irrua.
In a statement in Benin yesterday, Ohens who condemned in totality the fresh charge of possession of arms against them alleged that a top government official in Edo State is presently spearheading the fresh charges on the ground that the youths were armed.
The ten youths who were charged to Magistrate Court 2 on Monday 27th of August, were curiously refused bail by Magistrate C.A. Nwoha in the bailable offence for which they were charged.
He charged: “It is completely false and fabricated lies to keep the innocent youths in detention for a long time without trier. The alleged fresh arm charge is being purported to convince the Magistrate so as not to grant them bail.”
While insisting that no Esan youths assaulted Obaseki, Ohens challenged the government and police to provide evidence from the incident to prove the allegation against the detained youths.
According to the youth leader, the charge is a political vendetta because no Esan youth stoned Obaseki at Irrua, noting that interestingly, Obaseki on the day of the incident was with the Government House Press Crew.
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He said: “I challenge them to show the world a video clip wherein the detained youths stoned the Governor with the heavy Security presence and Police numbering over 50 who could not arrest any person at the scene of crime while some people stoned the Governor?
“The deliberate act to punish the innocent 10 Esan youths for offences they never committed is outright wickedness, callous, inhuman and undemocratic. I am calling on the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole and President Mohamadu Buhari to intervene. The Human Right societies to come to our aid as Edo State is gradually slipping into dictatorship.”
The case was adjourned until today Monday the 3rd of March 2018, but surprisingly, a fresh charge of arms possession was brought against the young accused.
