Eight individuals have been taken into custody by the Edo State Police Command in relation to the murder of Efe Ogbeide, a man with speech impairment, during the Obazagbon community crisis.
The state’s Oredo Local Government Area contains the Obazagbon village. Joshua Edo, 50, the primary suspect and community youth chairman, was among the suspects detained, according to a statement released by Moses Yamu, the Command’s public relations officer.
Obayuwana Happy, 25; Uhunwangho Everest, 52; Chidera Umeh, 21; Simon Benjamin, 39; Odion Adagbonyin, 43; Kennedy Ohro, 42; and Osayi Adagbonyin, 41, were among the others mentioned by Yamu. He said the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Divisional Police Officer of the Iyekogba Division.
He alleged that the suspects who actively participated in the mayhem were arrested at different intervals and locations.
Yamu added that the crisis resulted in the killing of some innocent persons and the destruction of properties worth millions of naira.
The statement read in part:
“Following the protracted crisis in Obazagbon community over who becomes or remains the chairman, as well as that of the Okiaghele of the community, which resulted in the killing of some innocent persons and the destruction of properties worth millions of naira, the most recent being the killing of one Efe—a deaf and dumb man—leaves a lot to be desired.”
“The Divisional Police Officer of Iyekogba Division led operatives of Operation Rescue and Anti-Kidnapping to the area, where the following suspects—Obayuwana Happy, 25; Uhunwangho Everest, 52; Chidera Umeh, 21; Joshua Edo, 50; Simon Benjamin, 39; Odion Adagbonyin, 43; Kennedy Ohro, 42; and Osayi Adagbonyin, 41—who actively participated in the mayhem, were arrested at different intervals and locations,” he said.
According to the command’s image maker, Betty Enekpen Isokpan, the state’s Commissioner of Police vowed that anyone found guilty will be subject to the full force of the law.
She also reiterated the Command’s commitment to maintaining the state’s top priority for property and life protection.
Note that on Tuesday, March 5, 2025, organizations working under the auspices of the Edo State Civil Society Organizations, or EDOSCO, and the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities staged a demonstration against the brutal killing of the man with a physical disability.
The murder of the victim, whom he characterized as a site engineer, was condemned by the organizations, who were led by Barr Omasah Melody, Executive Director of the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities.
He said the victim was deaf and could not hear when the alarm of the invaders was raised.
