Explosion rocks ex-Edo SSG’s estate

The crisis in Edo State took another dimension last Saturday when an explosion rocked a mini estate belonging to the a former Secretary to the Edo State Government, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, on Denis Osadebey Way in Benin, the state capital.

It was learnt that the explosion, which occurred at about 10.30pm, was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device planted at the entrance of the estate housing some residential apartments and the Shalom Dental Clinic said to belong to the wife of the former SSG.

Although no life was lost, the impact of the blast created a hole and shattered the ceiling of the security post, while the gate of the building, located a few distance away from the Government House, was partly damaged.Continue...



Confirming the incident, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Foluso Adebanjo, said that preliminary investigation showed that the device was thrown into the estate from outside.

He also disclosed that the IED had been recovered by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the command for analysis while “some suspects” had been arrested.

While urging politicians in the state to put the interest of the citizens above their personal interests, Adebanjo stated that the command would continue to campaign against violence ahead of the 2015 general elections.

But Ize-Iyamu, who is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, has alleged that the state government and the All Progressives Congress were responsible for the incident.

Ize-Iyamu, who claimed that his wife was the target of the blast, said that he had faced criticisms from both the APC and the state government since he dumped the APC for the PDP.

“The target obviously was my wife’s clinic but the bomb exploded right here. The security guard, I was told, was patrolling the compound when the incident occurred and if he was here he would have been killed instantly but luckily he was far away. The director of the SSS, the bomb disposal operatives also came.

“I want to say categorically that I am not surprise at what happened even though the dimension was sudden. I say categorically that I hold Governor Adams Oshiomhole responsible because in the past few days he has threatened my person publicly,” he said.

Also speaking, the State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who also took a swipe on the state government, said that he had petitioned the police and the Department of State Security about alleged plans to “eliminate known leaders” of the party.

But the leadership of the APC in Edo State has dismissed the claim by the PDP and Orbih, adding that the incident was a plot by Ize-Iyamu to get sympathy and compensation from both the PDP and the Federal Government.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Godwin Erhahon, who described the wife of the PDP chieftain as an apolitical person, said that the incident was “a way of creating higher burden for her.”

“Going to arrange to destroy his wife’s hospital or clinic with a view to getting sympathy and compensation from the PDP and the Federal Government is ungodly,” he said.