The Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Diaspora Affairs, Hon.
Osazee Osemwengie Ero, has been arrested by the Interpol in far away
France.
Igbere TV gathered that the Commissioner, who organized
the recently held Edo Festivals (EDOFEST), was arrested on allegations
bothering on money laundering.
The sum of $2 million cash was
said to have been found on him while the arrest was being effected at
the Paris Airport in the presence of the state governor, Mr. Godwin
Obaseki.
It was gathered that both the Commissioner and the Governor
were on their way from China, where the both were said to have gone for
business deals.
Though the news broke the internet on Sunday
night, December 29, Igbere TV however gathered that the arrest took
place a week back.
But reacting to the development on Monday, Governor Godwin Obaseki said the arrest has nothing to do with him or his government.
In
a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications
Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, he said he could neither confirm or deny the
arrest of the commissioner.
According to him, “We learnt about
the alleged arrest of the Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora
Commissioner, Hon. Osaze Osemwingie-Ero from unreliable sources on
social media and we are unable to confirm either the alleged arrest or
what might have led to it.”
“But we can confirm without
equivocation that whatever the issues might be, they are totally
personal and have nothing whatsoever to do with the Edo State Government
or Governor Godwin Obaseki,” he added.
Meanwhile, some citizens
of Edo state have called out Governor Obaseki for disowning the state
commissioner, asking the governor to work on his release.
A
group under the aegis of Orhionmwon Peoples Movement, where the
commissioner is from, alleged that the sum found on him was given to him
by Obaseki for safekeeping.
“Rather than the Governor to use his
good office to ensure the release of the commissioner, Obaseki came to
Benin and lied that the arrest has nothing to do with him.”
The
group said the most painful aspect of it is that the Governor is busy
lying against the Commissioner and not telling the world the main reason
he was arrested.
“The Governor is busy saying that the
Commissioner was arrested not because of the money that was found with
him but because of the offence he committed some years ago while in
Italy.”
This action of the Governor, according to them, is to
avoid the wrath of people who may feel angry over how Edo money is being
looted abroad through the aid of his Commissioner.
They further
claimed that the Commissioner has no criminal record or declared wanted
before, saying they were surprised that the Governor was diverting
attention from the reason he was arrested.
They, however, called
on well meaning Edo people to prevail on the Governor to secure the
release of their son as "it is unfair for him to treat his best
Commissioner in this wicked and heartless manner."
They insisted
that they will be left with no other option than to take to street
protests if the state commissioner is not released before the end of
this year.
Obaseki, an APC governor, is seeking re-election next
year. With this development, it is being alleged in some quarters that
the governor may have pulling cash abroad to prosecute the elections.
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