Edo North, where Governor Adams Oshiomhole hails from, was under 24-hour Army lockdown, Saturday, as all the entry and exit points into the senatorial district were sealed by soldiers till the early hours of Sunday.
Motorists and pedestrians who were caught unawares by the strange and unannounced military lockdown were stopped from moving and unlucky ones horsewhipped while others were made to face the indignity of being frog-jumped even late into the night of Saturday the 28th.
While the Inspector-General of Police had announced a restriction of movement from 8:00am to 5:00pm on election day, motorists trapped at a military checkpoint at Agbede, the gateway into Edo North bordering Ewu in Edo Central told reporters that the soldiers manning the checkpoint said they have orders to stop movement in and out of Edo North till midnight.
On his part, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the army has been a huge problem asthey had been used to rig for the ruling party at the centre.
There were no fewer than twenty military checkpoints in Edo North, there were five checkpoints at Okpella bordering Kogi State, two checkpoints at Iyamho, which completely sealed off the Governor’s home, five points at Auchi; another point at INEC office in Auchi, a checkpoint at Jattu junction, another one close to the Jattu home of Hon Philips Shaibu, the APC House of Reps candidate, another point at Ikabigbo, Ogbonna, Fugar, and three points at Agenebode.There were also military checkpoints at Aviele and another one at Agbede, bordering Edo North and Edo Central.
INEC officials were not spared a harrowing ordeal in the hands of the soldiers as those taking materials to Ward 10, Unit 1 Iyamho were around 9:00 am, Saturday, asthey were stopped by soldiers who had laid siege to the home town of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
The INEC officials told reporters that were forced to sit on the ground, alongside their police escort for several hours.They were later allowed to leave after they got calls from their superiors. The soldiers said they were acting on strict orders from above.
Even journalists were not spared the soldiers’ ordeal as the INEC accreditation cards and reflective jackets were ignored while each reporter was asked to produce his company ID cards.
Source:Vanguard
