By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN—Edo State Government and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, weekend, engaged in war of words over the explosion that allegedly rocked the clinic of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s wife, Saturday night.

While Pastor Ize-Iyamu and the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, alleged that the blast was masterminded by agents of All Progressives Congress, APC-led government in the state with a view to eliminating PDP leaders, the state government described the allegation as laughable, declaring that “it is regrettable and shameful that the PDP leaders have resorted to plotting attack against themselves to deceive Nigerians after they invaded the legislators’ quarters to kill APC lawmakers.”

This came as the state Police Command, confirmed the blast and warned politicians in the state to stop heating the polity in the interest of peace in the state ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

According to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, preliminary investigation showed that the improvised explosive device, IED, was thrown into the clinic from outside.

He also disclosed that the IED had been recovered by the Bomb Disposal Unit for analysis while “some suspects” had been arrested.

Adebayo said: “On Saturday, the command received an information that about 10:30pm, there was an explosion at Denins Osadeby avenue in Benin city where Shalom dental clinic belonging to the wife of Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, is located. The special anti- bomb squad and patrol vehicles were immediately drafted to the scene of the incident. Preliminary investigation revealed that explosive suspected to be improvised explosives device, IED, made of two Tiger batteries of 1.5 volt; each connected to log wire were thrown into the mini estate from outside.”

The statement urged “political gladiators ahead of the 2015 elections to prevail on their supporters to put the interest of the good people above personal interest”.

Ize-Iyamu who briefed newsmen at the scene of the incident said, “last night at about 10:40 pm I got a text from one of the tenants that a bomb had been thrown into my wife’s clinic. So, I immediately called a tenant who told me that it just happened. I called the security agencies and rushed there. I actually found that a bomb was detonated here (at the gate). The security agencies were able to see the wire that was used from across the road; it was a white wire and a masking tape.

“The target obviously was my wife’s clinic but the bomb detonated right at the gate, the security guard, I was told, was patrolling the compound when the incident occurred. If he was here (gate) he would have been killed instantly, but luckily he was far away. The Director of the Department of State Service, DSS, the bomb deposal men also came. I want to say categorically that I am not surprised at what happened even though the dimension was sudden. I say categorically that I hold the government.

In a swift reaction, the government through a statement by Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion, said, “the claim of a bomb attack and subsequent reckless press statement by a self-styled “Pastor”, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is another phase in what clearly has become the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spread falsehood and sow fear in the minds of the people of Edo State with a view to simulating a crisis.

“No sooner had the purported “bomb attack” been reported by an online medium with further claim of bomb explosion within Government House, than Mr. Ize-Iyamu quickly called a press conference to point fingers at the government as the mastermind of the explosion at the clinic owned by his wife.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that the report of bomb explosion at the Edo Government House is patently false. By Ize-Iyamu’s ludicrous account and his haste to accuse government of culpability for a supposed crime yet to be investigated, we are persuaded to believe he is merely acting out a script. It is laughable indeed that any sane man will be targeting an obscure clinic that is, at best, now moribund.

“Mr Ize-Iyamu’s wild allegation fits into PDP’s jaded style of stage-managing assaults on its agents to be used as pretext by its thugs to attack officials of Edo State Government and agents of the APC. Again, Mr Ize-Iyamu’s reference to cultists being engaged against PDP is ironic and laughable. Even as full-time president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Oshiomhole was known for his non-violence philosophy. On the contrary, Edo people know those with the history of cultism and violence dating back to their school days.

“Against the backdrop of this latest purported attack on his wife’s clinic, which we believe was stage-managed, we wish to alert the Police to put Pastor Ize-Iyamu and his close-travelers under close watch as allegations of this nature had always been the prelude to staging an attack on APC members in the state in the past.

“Again, we call on the PDP to look within its ranks to get to the root of the attack on a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Rasaq Momoh.  We also call on the Police to thoroughly probe top leaders of the PDP for the attack on the Edo state Legislative Quarters penultimate  Saturday” it stated.