BENIN CITY ––The leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly has condemned in strong terms, the alleged barbaric killing of one Mr. Ebenezer Aisien by a trigger-happy Mobile Police Officer, attached to the NNPC Mega filling station in Benin City on Monday.
Addressing protesting youths and family members of the deceased who protested to the state House of Assembly, yesterday, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Levis Osaretin Aigbogun in company of other members, assured the people that the parliament would do its best to ensure that the law took its course.
While urging the protesters to remain calm and go about their normal business, the lawmaker noted that the duty of the police was to protect lives and property and not to kill.
He, therefore, described the action of the Mobile Police man as barbaric and condemnable by all right thinking human beings even as he prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
Speaking earlier, the spokes person for the protesting group said all they were demanding was that the Mobile Police man should be brought to book while the manager of the Benin depot of NNPC Mega station, Mr. Akhigbe should be redeployed immediately.
It will be recalled that a 34-year-old man, said to have gone to the NNPC Mega station to purchase kerosene product, was shot dead by a trigger-happy Mobile Police Officer attached to the filling station at the early hours of Monday this week.
Meanwhile, the Legislative Arm of Oredo Local Government Council has risen in condemnation of the recent killing of a 34-year-old man at the NNPC Mega station in Benin City, and called for a thorough investigation of the incident to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
While considering matter of urgent public importance, the councillors, who observed a one-minute silence in honour of the slain man, Ebenezer Aisien expressed dissatisfaction at the incessant cases of killing of innocent and law-abiding citizens by the police, and called for a regular re-training of police officers in the handling of unarmed civilians.
While moving the motion for the intervention of the House in the matter, because the NNPC Mega station where the incident occurred is located in Oredo Local Government Area, the House Chairman on Peace and Security, Hon. Orobosa Ogbewe, representing Oredo Ward 9, observed that the incident was poorly handled by the police, and insisted that justice should be pursued for the victim.
Contributing, honourable councillors representing Wards 2,3,8,10,11 and 12 in the locality, noted that the callous act ran against the ethics of social justice, freedom of movement and right to life, and therefore, resolved to invite the manager of the NNPC Mega station, Benin City to appear before the Legislative Arm of the council on Thursday September 18, 2008 to tender a brief of what transpired before the unfortunate killing.
The Leader of the Legislative Arm, Oredo Local Government Council, Hon. Foster Iyangbe while ruling on the deliberation, noted that such unfortunate police killing could trigger unimaginable social unrest, and enjoined security agencies in the locality to exercise restraints while dealing with the people.
Hon. Iyangbe maintained that the people of Oredo Local Government Area were very interested in seeing that justice is exercised in full in this matter.
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