Banner Online News

By Our Correspondent

WARRI — The Delta State Government has been accused of treating political violence with chilling indifference after a top official dismissed a series of armed attacks on opposition supporters as mere “campaign strategy,” even as victims recover from injuries and a campaign venue lies in ruins.

The camp of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, former Deputy President of the Senate and candidate for Delta Central, has launched a blistering attack on the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, demanding an immediate investigation into two brutal assaults on its members .

The controversy erupted after Charles Aniagwu, the state Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads and Public Information), appeared on Arise News and waved away the incidents as political theatre. His comments have been met with fury from Omo-Agege’s camp, who accuse the government of deflection and complicity through silence .

“Frankly, that’s troubling,” said Godwin Anaughe, Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications to Senator Omo-Agege, in a statement issued Tuesday . “When people gather peacefully for a political meeting and end up attacked by armed men; when they’re injured, and their campaign venue is later invaded and torn apart, the right response from a government official is to condemn it, investigate it, and reassure the public. Not turn the victims into a talking point.”

A Pattern of Violence

The first attack occurred on August 13 in Usiefrun, Ughelli South Local Government Area. According to eyewitnesses, armed men opened fire on supporters who had gathered for a ward-to-ward engagement with Omo-Agege. Six people were injured, with several requiring hospital treatment . Omo-Agege named a protocol officer to Governor Oborevwori, among those allegedly behind the assault .

Just eight days later, on August 21, the violence escalated. More than 50 armed men allegedly stormed a campaign venue in Uvwie, destroying canopies and campaign materials. Witnesses claim the group’s leader, Emmanuel Erube, issued a chilling threat: Senator Omo-Agege would be killed if he showed up for campaign activities in the area .

“This wasn’t random. It was planned,” Omo-Agege said in a separate statement, directly accusing Governor Oborevwori of orchestrating the intimidation . The senator alleged that the governor had privately boasted that he could have him killed and face no consequences as Chief Security Officer of the state .

‘A Road Isn’t a Shield’

Rather than address the allegations of violence, Aniagwu pivoted to attacking Omo-Agege’s political message, claiming he “has no message.” But Omo-Agege’s camp hit back hard, arguing that the government’s desperation is a sign that their message is resonating.

“A Commissioner doesn’t go on national television to complain that a candidate ‘has no message’ unless that message is already doing damage,” Anaughe countered .

The statement also tore into the government’s record, raising pointed questions about the management of over N4 trillion in state revenue. “Deltans deserve a straight answer on where that money went, not a lecture on messaging from a government sitting on that kind of revenue,” Anaughe said .

Addressing the government’s usual deflection tactic, the promise of road projects like the Emevor-Orogun Road, the Omo-Agege camp delivered a scathing rebuke: “Finish the road,  people need it. But a construction project isn’t a shield against allegations of political violence. No government gets to point at a road with one hand while armed men roam free with the other.”

Call for Accountability

The government’s claim that Delta State is “peaceful” was dismissed as an insult to the injured supporters and their families. Anaughe noted that Aniagwu “never denied either attack happened. He couldn’t, because they did.”

The statement concluded with a demand for immediate investigations into the officials who may have directed, financed, or facilitated the attacks. “We’re not interested in a political mud fight, and we won’t be talked out of demanding accountability,” Anaughe declared . “Until these incidents are properly investigated and the public gets real answers, no press appearance, campaign slogan, or road commissioning is going to make the underlying questions go away.”