Suspected political thugs on Monday seized control of the Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) secretariat in Edo State, preventing Chairman Tom Obaseki from accessing his office.
The armed hoodlums positioned themselves strategically around the secretariat and chanted war songs, creating a tense atmosphere.
This forced Obaseki, who had arrived to resume his duties for the day, to retreat and address the situation from outside the council premises.
Speaking to journalists, Obaseki expressed his frustration, saying, “I came to continue my work as the elected chairman of Oredo Local Government, but I found the secretariat overtaken by thugs. This is a very troubling situation, and we are calling on the security agencies to intervene and restore order.”
He also emphasized the existence of a restraining order in his favor.
Obaseki’s return to work followed a ruling by the Edo State High Court last Friday, which overturned his suspension along with 17 other council chairmen.
The suspensions had been imposed by the Edo State House of Assembly after Governor Monday Okpebholo filed a petition accusing the council heads of insubordination and misconduct.
