On Thursday, July 18th, gunmen attacked the convoy of Comrade Philip Shaibu in Benin City, the capital of Edo State.
This incident occurred just one day after a Federal High Court in Abuja voided the impeachment of the deputy governor.
On Wednesday, July 17th, Shaibu returned to Edo from Abuja, accompanied by Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, and others, aboard a chartered flight.
As they arrived in the city, the convoy was attacked on Airport Road by gunmen positioned in a vehicle at the airport exit gate. The gunmen opened fire on the convoy, prompting armed security details to return fire. Okpebholo was reportedly hospitalized in an undisclosed Benin City hospital; however, his current condition remains unknown.
The incident forced shops and offices to close abruptly, and many motorists abandoned their vehicles in a scramble for safety.
According to a statement by Mr. Godswill Inegbe, an aide to Okpebholo, his principal was targeted in the attack.
“During the unprovoked attack, three mobile policemen attached to the security detail of Sen. Okpebholo were injured with bullet wounds, while one of the policemen has been feared dead,” Inegbe said.
Okpebholo is currently receiving medical attention in an undisclosed Benin City hospital along with other members of the entourage.
