Victor Eterigho, ex-councillor from Uzere community, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, was beaten to coma on Wednesday last week by security aides attached to Samuel Askia, son to the Managing Director, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Ogieh Asikia.
SaharaReporters reliably gathered that the former councillor’s attack followed an alleged invasion of his house by Askia’s mobile policemen to retrieve a car gift given to him two years ago by Askia.
Impeccable sources familiar with the matter told our correspondent that in 2018, Askia, a People’s Democratic Party House of Assembly aspirant for Isoko South constituency 2, made the former councillor, Eterigho, the director-general of his campaign organisation.
He was said to have gifted him a car with all documents bearing Eterigho’s name. But when the political relationship ended, Askia came for his car.
“The attack and injuries inflicted on me were carried out by policemen attached to Samuel Askia. They came to my house at Irri to demand the return of the car gift to me about two years ago in appreciation of my efforts towards Samuel Askia House of Assembly ambition,” Eterigho said.
“Because the car was not immediately available, they forced me inside their Hilux, molesting me in the process. And when we got to Eboh hotel, his policemen tortured and molested me the more; hitting me with the butt of the gun in the head, eyes and even threatened to blow me off.
“It is all lies from the pit of hell that the army beat me at Uzere community as being speculated by Askia and his group. They want to cover up the attack on me by his policemen.”
The attack on the former councillor followed his refusal to support Samuel Askia’s candidacy at the just concluded Uzere delegates conference to elect the community’s new leadership last week Tuesday.
Our correspondent also gathered that another such car gift given to Uwoma Odhiwu at the same time the former councillor got his was also retrieved from him by the same policemen attached to Askia.
Meanwhile, all the two vehicles’ original documents, sighted by our correspondent, bore names of the receivers, indicating that the cars were gifts from Askia.
Askia and his close political allies were said to have insisted that the two vehicles were not gifts but officially given to Odhiwu and Eterigho to run his campaign organisation while contesting the Isoko South constituency 2 House of Assembly seat in the 2019 general elections of which he could not secure the party’s ticket.
Samuel Askia could not be reached for comments as his mobile line was switched at the time of filing in this report.
One of his close allies, who identified himself as Daniel, said at no time were policemen attached to Askia beat up the former councillor.
He maintained that the army allegedly beat up the former councillor at Uzere community over his unruly behaviour.
“Don’t lie against Samuel Askia’s policemen,” Daniel said, referring to Eterigho. “I was there when the policemen met you. They didn’t touch you. They only retrieved from you the official car attached to the office you occupied as the DG of Samuel Askia movement, and you are no longer the DG of Samuel Askia movement.”