TELL Magazine

…Orders Police, DSS to fish out culprits.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has vowed that the state government would stop at nothing in ensuring that justice is done in the kidnap and eventual murder of a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Presley Ediagbonya whose corpse was recovered by the police about two weeks after his kidnap.

Ediagbonya was abducted from his Utese farmhouse in Okada, Ovia Northeast local government area of the state in the early hours of Saturday, May 16. His kidnappers who had initially demanded N25 million ransom eventually collected two million naira and sent a text message to the family to go and pick up his corpse from a cassava farm in the community. The corpse was however not found until a few days ago.

Obaseki expressed sadness and shock over the dastardly murder of the former Commissioner for Youths and Sports, and erstwhile local government chairman in the state by kidnappers.

In a statement, Obaseki called on the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and other security agencies to spare no expense in ensuring that the perpetrators of the heinous act are apprehended and promptly brought to justice.

The governor, who described the death as sad and extremely painful, extended his heartfelt sympathy to the Ediagbonya family as well as the APC in Edo State.

According to him, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Mr. Presley Ediagbonya, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, who was said to have been murdered by his abductors days after his kidnap.

“I call on all security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Police to spare no expense in fishing out the culprits and I can assure you that as a government, we will stop at nothing to ensure that justice is done.
We will make no distinction between the kidnappers who committed this act and those who harbour them.

“The late Ediagbonya was a gentleman that worked assiduously for a better society, contributing his quota to development. He consistently distinguished himself and will be greatly missed by all.”