Obidient Movement asks new IGP probe attack on Peter Obi, Oyegun

The Obidient Movement has called on the new Inspector Gneral of Police, Tunji Disu, to probe what it described as a coordinated attack on Peter Obi and John Odigie-Oyegun in Benin City, Edo state.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Yunusa Tanko, national coordinator of the movement, described the incident as a “premeditated, two-pronged assassination attempt”.

The group alleged that armed assailants invaded the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secretariat on Ogbelaka Street shortly after a rally and later trailed party leaders to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence, where gunfire was opened on vehicles and property.

“The Obidient Movement unequivocally condemns the coordinated and violent attack on Mr Peter Obi, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Benin City,” the statement read.

The movement called for “an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into this assassination attempt, free from the influence of state actors implicated in the attack”.

It also demanded “federal-level intervention by the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the perpetrators and their sponsors are identified, arrested, and prosecuted”.

The group urged “a public condemnation from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a directive to his party members in Edo State and political actors across the country to cease all acts of political violence and intimidation”.

The statement alleged that the attack followed prior remarks attributed to the Edo state governor that Obi’s security would not be guaranteed if he visited the state without prior clearance.

“Yesterday, that threat was visibly translated into bullets. The connection between that inflammatory rhetoric and this act of violence is impossible to ignore,” the movement said.

The group added that the incident reflects a broader pattern of intimidation against opposition leaders nationwide.

“Things have now regressed from mere rhetoric to actual violence and threats to life. The failure of the state in this matter is glaring,” it said.

The Obidient Movement criticised an initial police statement that reportedly referenced damaged chairs and canopies, describing it as an attempt “to minimize the gravity of what happened”.