- A video circulating on social media showed a man firing a locally made gun near the Edo governorship tribunal venue, causing widespread panic and chaos as people rushed to safety.
- The incident has sparked a blame game between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Edo state police command said it has initiated a probe into a shooting incident that occurred during the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting on Wednesday.
The Commissioner of Police Umoru Ozigi revealed this information in a statement released to the press in Benin City.
The statement, signed by Moses Yamu, Public Relations Officer of the Command, indicated that the investigation aims to identify and locate the individual in the viral video for potential prosecution.
However, Ozigi clarified that no shooting incident took place at the High Court during the tribunal’s sitting, thanks to the deployment of sufficient security measures to maintain law and order.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Edo State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video of a weapon-bearing young man firing shots in the air and later zooming off in an unmarked white Hilux vehicle to a yet to be identified location in Edo State.
“However, the Command categorically states that, no shooting incident occurred at the High Court on 15/01/2025, during Election Tribunal sitting, as adequate security measures were deployed to ensure that there was no break down of law and order.
“Nevertheless, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru P. Ozigi, psc, mnips has ordered investigation into the incident, with a view to unraveling the identity and location and of the young man in the viral video for prosecution.”