The Edo State Police Command has arrested Reverend Olu Martins, the Deputy Director-General, Media to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship campaign council.
Sunrise reports that the State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday at a press briefing in Benin City.
Adegboye also disclosed that the PDP governorship campaign spokesman has been charged in court.
He said the politician was arrested and charged to court for allegedly making inciting statements that are capable of causing violence in the state.
He said there was a viral video of an inflammatory statement made by Rev Olu Martins that could heat up the electioneering campaign processes in the state.
“He was invited to serve as a deterrent to others of like- behaviours and we also decided that the matter should be resolved at the court”, he said.
The commissioner, who said the command is apolitical and unbiased to any political parties, however, appealed to political gladiators and actors in the state to play the game in line with the laid rules and regulations.
He opined that electioneering processes are supposed to be glamorous, and interesting and to encourage well-educated and would-be politicians and not the type that would create tensions in the land or teach people to behave criminally.
He vowed that the command would not hesitate to deal decisively with any politician that runs foul of the laws of the land especially those of criminal codes and electoral acts as the election approaches, noting that there would be no scare cow no matter how highly placed such person
“I want to again warn all our political party gladiators to please play the game in accordance with the laid rules. Inciting violence is a serious crime in the criminal codes and also in the electoral acts.
“All politicians and supporters should please avoid statements that can make the environment charged unnecessarily”, he said.
Sunrise recalls that the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had at a press statement called on the Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Security Service to arrest the embattled PDP governorship campaign spokesman.
The statement signed by Jarrett Tenebe, State Chairman of APC, alleged that Rev Olu Martins’ admission of violent conduct was a threat to the peace of the land and a clear indication of the desperation of the PDP ahead of the September 21, governorship election.
In a viral video, the Deputy Director General of the Asue Ighodalo campaign Council, Rev Olu Martins was seen calling for the vandalism of campaign materials of opposition parties and threatening any opposition to the PDP candidate.
He also allegedly asked David Olukoga, Director of Operation, to the state-owned security outfit, codenamed, Edo State Security Networks ESSN) to attack anyone who fails to embrace the PDP and its fading candidate.
