Two persons sustained bullet injuries on Thursday as opposing thugs exchanged gunfire.
The incident occurred at Benin Airport when Philip Shaibu, recently reinstated as Edo’s deputy governor by an Abuja High Court, arrived from Abuja. Shaibu’s private jet landed around 1:18 pm to the cheers of hundreds of supporters.
After a brief discussion with his supporters’ leaders in the Arrival Hall, Shaibu emerged to a jubilant crowd and mounted a motorcade. As the convoy approached the airport gate, gunshots erupted, causing panic.
The shots, heard inside the Arrival Hall and along Airport Road near the Church of God Mission, led to business closures and drivers abandoning vehicles to escape. The Mobile Squad of the Nigeria Police intervened to control the situation, with officers continuing to shoot as the attackers fled in a Toyota Sienna bus.
The incident occurred a day after a Federal Court ordered the Inspector General of Police to restore Shaibu’s security detail following the nullification of his impeachment.
Meanwhile, the Edo Security Network took over the deputy governor’s office at Osadebey’s Avenue on Thursday morning. It is unclear if Marvellous Omobayo, appointed by Governor Godwin Obaseki to replace Shaibu, was present when the ESSN men took over the office.
