Benue group urges Alia, IGP to wade Into Ado crisis
By Julius Alabi, Akure
The Benue Descendants Union, Ondo State Chapter, has appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to urgently intervene in the escalating feud between the Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mrs. Lami Danladi Ogenyi, and the Chairman of Ado Local Government Area, Mr. Oche Sunday Oche.
In a statement issued in Akure on Monday and signed by its General Secretary, Barrister James Otokpa, the group warned that if not promptly addressed, the dispute could snowball into a full-blown crisis capable of destabilising Ado LGA.
The Union accused the Deputy Speaker of fueling tensions by falsely alleging that the council chairman was operating an illegal detention cell in the Obioye community. The allegation, it stressed, had already been investigated by a special police team dispatched by the IGP, which found no evidence of such a facility.
According to the group, the Deputy Speaker’s petition led to the arrest of three traditional rulers from the Ezza community, who were later released following the police investigation.
The statement also alleged that loyalists of the council chairman, including an APC woman leader, had come under unwarranted attacks and smear campaigns over their political allegiance.
“There was a time that two unidentified men attacked the entourage of Engineer Oche Sunday in Makurdi,” the group recalled, noting that the incident was corroborated by the House Majority Leader, Mr. Saater Tiseer.
The Union urged Governor Alia to launch an independent inquiry into the crisis to “unravel the brains behind the festering situation before it plunges the state into political turmoil.”
For balance and fair hearing, the Union further called on the IGP to invite the Deputy Speaker for questioning over her role in the matter.
The feud, observers say, underscores deepening political tensions in Ado Local Government Area, which stakeholders fear could spiral into a wider conflict if not swiftly resolved.
