Police release Edo LP chairman on bail

The Edo State Chairman of the Edo State of the Labour Party (LP), Kelly Ogbaloi, who was arrested on Wednesday alongside the National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure, and four others, has been released from the AIG Zone 5 Police headquarters on bail.

They were arrested by police officers from the AIG Zone 5 headquarters on allegations of conspiracy and attempted murder, among others.

While Abure was released in the early hours of Wednesday and Ogbaloi was released late Wednesday evening, the youth leader of the party in the state was yet to be released as of the time of filing this report.

Speaking to journalists after his release, Ogbaloi said, “Zone 5 is a police formation, and you know it is not usual for people to go to the police station for a tea party. Yesterday (Wednesday), we were taken in along with the national chairman.

“I became curious after meeting with the Department of State Security for security issues with party aspirants that were cleared, and I was told that the national chairman was taken in. I quickly rushed to Zone 5.

“But I got there to meet a petition against me, the national chairman, and some other officials of the party. At that point, the police began interrogation, and I was put behind bars. This is exactly what happened.

“But the allegation was spurious because nothing can be proved. According to the petition, sometime last December, Anslem Eragbe, who before them had been expelled from the party, fell into the hands of hoodlums, and he was beaten up. He wrote a petition to say that I and the national chairman masterminded that, which is not correct.

“In December, I had already travelled out of the state, and I wondered how it would have been possible for me to be in the state and mastermind the beating of a man who said he came for an official assignment for his party. I don’t know the party he was talking about because, as of today, he is no longer a member of the Labour Party. This was some of the reason we were kept in Zone 5 between Wednesday and Thursday.

Speaking on the readiness of his party for Friday’s governorship primary election, Ogbaloi said, “Before we were taken in on Wednesday, I can tell you that we were ready, and I was strong enough, but I am just coming out now, and I have to review things to ensure that all the parameters are in place where I left them on Wednesday or if they need straightening out.”