The horrific killing of a physically disabled man in the Obazagbon neighborhood of the Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State on Tuesday drew protests from the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities and the Edo State Civil Society Organizations, or EDOSCO.
The groups condemned the killing of the physically disabled man, named Efe Ogbeide, during the demonstration in Benin City.
“The victim was deaf and could not hear when the invaders raised the alarm,” said Barrister Omasah Melody, Executive Director of the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities. Melody claimed that because the dead was deaf, he fell into the hands of the suspected murderers while others fled.
While demanding justice for the victim, he urged the government to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
“We are in pain. We are deeply touched because Mrs Betty has lost a dear husband. His children have been made fatherless.”
“Ogbeide’s only crime was that he struggled to fend for himself and his family despite his disability, so he would not be a liability to society. It was in the course of striving to put food on the table for his family that death met him.”
“The frequency of communal clashes over land and related issues is becoming far too common. It has to stop. Security agents must rise to the occasion.”
“When there are crises in the community, the physically challenged suffer more. People with disabilities are the worst affected,” he said.”
Three suspects have been taken into custody in relation to the chaos in the Obazagbon community, according to Moses Yamu, the public relations officer for the Edo State Police Command, who also stated that the investigation is still ongoing.
We learned that the Obazagbon community is experiencing a violent leadership crisis that is causing property damage and fatalities.
