Edo State Police Command have arrested a former Chairman of the outlawed Community Development Association in the state, Monday Edegbe, for alleged involvement in the murder of a female farmer.
Mrs Mercy Iserhienrhien was murdered on May 4, 2019, at the Uniaro community in the Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the victim died as a result of the beating she allegedly received in the hands of Edegbe and 10 others, who are currently at large.
Edegbe’s arrest was confirmed by a senior police officer attached to the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team unit at the Edo State Command, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak on the matter.
“He (Edegbe) is in our custody. We are handling the case. We are not under the state police command, but under Force Headquarters in Abuja,” he said.
The deceased’s eldest daughter, Mrs Iris Nosakhare Aderemi, however, blamed the death of her mother on the slow response of the police to a distress call.
She said her mother’s death would have been averted if the police had responded promptly to the advice of concerned elders of the community to check the alleged excesses of the accused.
Aderemi noted that a certain man, who foiled an attempt to abduct her father last year, almost lost his life in the process, adding that the police were not forthcoming in investigating the allegation.
“We reported the kidnap attempt to the AIG, the SCID and the Ekiadolor Police Division, but the police did not act,” she alleged.
The husband of the deceased, Mr Nosakhare Osemwegie, appealed to human rights groups to assist the family to get justice, adding that his wife’s death had brought his family sorrow.
He alleged that some highly placed individuals were pushing for the release of the prime suspect.