Oshiomhole handcuffed me for 18 days –Task force boss

Embattled former Chairman of the Edo State Task Force on Illegal Structure, Street Trading and Traffic Obstruction, Major Lawrence Loye (rtd) has branded his handcuffing and detention by security operatives on the orders of Governor Adams Oshiomhole as “inhuman and barbaric”.

Loye, who had doubled as the Chairman of the Central Monitoring and Enforcement Committee of the Edo State Environmental Sanitation and Pollution Management Committee, was arrested and detained for 18 days last month, before he secured a bail from a Magistrate’s Court where he was arraigned. He is currently being prosecuted on a six-count charge of illegal demolition of property in a case that comes up for trial on November 14.

Meanwhile, a popular Benin transporter and politician, Chief John Osamede Adun has alleged that the opposition in the state used the task force chairman to carry out illegal destruction of houses so as to embarrass Governor Oshiomhole.

Chief Adun stated this at the weekend in Benin City, during a chat with journalists. The transporter, who is the Ayobahan of Benin Kingdom, blamed Loye, whom he said was going about marking houses by himself, when that particular aspect of the job was supposed to be done by the commissioner of his supervising ministry.

Loye accused the governor of inhumanly detaining him in chains for 18 days in a resignation letter he addressed to Oshiomhole, personally signed and dated October 7. The letter, which was copied to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Commissioner for the Environment and Public Utilities was also made available to National Mirror.

The letter reads: “I wish to formally resign my appointment as Chairman, Edo State Task Force on Illegal Structure, Street Trading and Traffic Obstruction. The decision is consequent upon the inhuman, barbarous and embarrassing treatment I suffered publicly from your hand on Monday morning, 12th September, 2011 at the site of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia’s house in Siluko Road; which ordeal led to my incarceration, after my arrest and handcuff for 18 days both in the Nigeria Police - State CID detention and the Benin Prison yard, in your determination to exercise “Your Executive Power” in the state.

http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/22583.html

This is a serious allegation.