By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The management and staff of Edo State Public Works Volunteers Scheme (PUWOV) has formerly tender unreserved apologies to the person of the former Edo State Attorney General, Dr. OSAGIE Obayuwana and the entire Civil society family in Edo State over the Monday 31st,May,2021 encounter between some PUWOV members and the activists at the New benin axis of the state capital.
In a statement issued by the coordinator, Edo State Public Works Volunteers scheme (PUWOV), MUKHTAR YUSUF-OSAGIE, the government agency said “our attention has been drawn to a video clip trending on the social media wherein some of our officials were involved in an encounter with some Civil Society Actors and Human Rights Activists( Edo State branch)who were on a protest March at the new Benin area of Benin-city.”
MUKHTAR YUSUF-OSAGIE further said ” as a very responsible Agency of government in resonance with Mr Governor’s belief in the Rule of Law and respect for citizens’ rights, we indeed regret whatever may have transpired on that said date which was occasioned by a distress call received by our intelligence unit to the effect that some suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) were gathering around the New Benin area to disrupt the peace of the area. In a bid to be proactive and prevent any possible breakdown of law and order in the area, it is believed that our officials on duty who were ordinarily acting in good faith, may have overzealously,acted in an unprofessional manner, not minding the laid-down mode of operations of the agency.
The PUWOV coordinator, in the statement said “as a law-abiding Agency, we condemn the actions of these officials, in strong terms, and tender our unreserved apology to the entire members of these Bodies,in general and most expecially, our very revered Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, a foremost Human Rights Activist, a former Attorney-General of Edo State and a very distinguished legal practitioner, who we hold in high esteem.”
It would be recalled that members of the civil Society in Edo State joined their counterparts in Nigeria on a peaceful National March to protest the state of the Nation which later led to a face off between the protesters and some officials of PUWOV.