A disturbing video has gone viral showing an activist, Comrade Okhai Okhani, Coordinator of Edo North Unity Worldwide, being violently assaulted by armed vigilantes in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State.

The activist, currently in critical condition at an undisclosed hospital, is calling on the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Army, Directorate of State Services, and the Edo State government to investigate the incident, arrest the perpetrators, and ensure justice is served.

Narrating his ordeal to newsmen via telephone, Okhani recounted how over 50 uniformed armed vigilantes and thugs stormed the venue of a stakeholders’ summit he organized for political office holders in Edo North to present their scorecards.

The event, according to him is an annual forum to assess and honour public office holders who had positively impacted their constituencies in delivering dividends of democracy.

He stated that he had sent out official invitations to notable political figures including Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Hon. Peter Akpatason, Hon. Anamero Sunday, and Hon. Hussein Mustapher, and several others.

READ ALSO: Why Peter Obi Should Inform Okpebholo Before Visiting Edo – Oshiomhole

The venue for the event, he added, was approved by the Acting Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Council, Hon. Valentine Okuilagwe.

Okhani said all was set for takeoff when the venue was not only attacked and vandalized, guests were brutalized and valuables were destroyed and phone handsets were carted away by the attackers.

Alleging that it was orchestrated by political actors in Edo North, who felt the assessment and honour was not in their favour, he said they deployed the vigilante group with thugs to disrupt the gathering.

According to him, “Shortly before the event commenced, a group of vigilantes and thugs arrived on motorcycles and without any provocation assaulted participants, damaging equipments, and beating me to pulp.

“I recognized some of the vigilante members. They descended on me and my colleagues, beat us up with matchets and clubs and even captured the violence on video. Then threw me into their waiting Hilux vehicle where they continued to brutalize me with the butts of their rifles,” Okhani said.

READ ALSO: FOI: Access To Public Information, Right, Not Privilege, Says Edo Attorney General

He continued: “They took me to the Auchi Area Command of the Nigeria Police where I was detained for over four hours without formal charges. They falsely claimed that my venue was not approved for the event. Yet the venue, a public event centre was officially approved.

“Worried by the critical condition that I was in, the Police released me to my wife to seek medical treatment,” he added.

Okhani described the incident as a politically motivated assault and expressed concern that local vigilante groups are now being used as tools of intimidation by powerful individuals in Edo North.

“I am in pain—my ribs, my head. These men dragged me to an unknown location before deciding to hand me over to the Area Commander, ACP Lawrence Adjihu, and his deputy, CSP Albert Udeme.”

READ ALSO: Law Firm Gives Okpebholo 7 Days To Apologise, Retract Threat To Peter Obi’s Freedom Of Movement

Calling for public support and prayers, he urged the Edo State government to prevent further abuse of power by vigilante operatives while calling for those behind the attack to be brought to book.

Meanwhile the Edo State Police Command confirmed the incident.

Police Public Relations Officers, CSP Moses Yamu in a telephone interview said the command is aware of the incident, stressing that investigation into the incident has commenced.

Bandits have killed 38 residents abducted in Banga village, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, after collecting N50 million as ransom.

Confirming the incident to Channels Television, the Chairman of Kaura-Namoda LGA, Mannir Haidara Kaura, said 56 persons were initially abducted from the village, and 18 were later released.

Kaura further disclosed that the freed 18 victims have been admitted to hospital for medical treatment.

“From the information I got as the chairman of the local government, 56 were abducted by the bandits and only 18 returned.

READ ALSO:Woman Kills Husband Over Food

“We took the remaining 18 people to hospital, they are on medication. We are also preparing to go with the state government to go and see the families of those that lost their lives,” the LG chairman said.

A resident of the village, Ibrahim Banga, earlier informed Channels Television that the bandits invaded the community months ago and abducted 53 people.

According to him, the kidnappers demanded N1 million per hostage, and after several weeks, the community managed to raise and deliver the money.

READ ALSO:My Husband Accused Me Of Infidelity; Beat Me Black And Blue —Wife

However, only 18 of the captives were eventually released.

“Upon their return, the freed victims recounted how the bandits slaughtered the remaining 35 abductees, killing them one after the other during their captivity,” the resident said.

He appealed to both the federal and Zamfara State governments to urgently extend military operations to the area, which he said would help restore peace, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and rescue those still held by the criminals.

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos on Monday staged a protest at the House of Assembly complex, demanding the immediate removal of the party’s state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.

The demonstrators, reportedly drawn from the 57 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, across the state, converged at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja, holding placards with messages like ‘Ojelabi Must Go’ and ‘We Demand New Leadership’.

The protesters voiced dissatisfaction with the current leadership, calling for a shake-up in the state party structure ahead of upcoming political activities.

READ ALSO:PHOTOS: Kwankwaso Welcomes APC Defectors Into NNPP

A heavy presence of police personnel was observed at the Assembly to ensure the protest remained peaceful and to prevent any escalation into violence or disruption of public order.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the leadership of the state Assembly nor the APC state executive had officially responded to the protest.