By Emma Amaize
WARRI—THE police in Abraka, Delta State, yesterday, summoned  the national president  of the Ighele r’ Urhobo ( youth wing) of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, Engineer Avwerosuoghene Okoro, over Monday’s fracas  in the community.

Okoro told Vanguard, in Eku on Tuesday, that suspected assassins stormed his residence to kill him and pointed accusing fingers at a top UPU official, but, an Urhobo leader informed Vanguard, yesterday, that it was not true that assassins were sent to kill Okoro.

As at 5.00 pm, Okoro had not been allowed to go home by the Police in Eku, but, he spoke to Vanguard, saying, the Police initially wanted to detain him, but, his lawyer had come and “I will be released in the next 10 minutes on bail.”

An Urhobo youth leader, in a text message to Vanguard,  yesterday  said, “we ordinarily do not want to react to the story anchored today (yesterday) on UPU. The people who attacked UPU executives are not faceless.  Okoro is presently taking cover in his Eku hometown because he wants to stay in power.

“UPU doesn’t want the issue to lie low and therefore, asked some of us to help effect the arrest. What happened in Eku was a failed arrest of the hoodlums. The people involved are three policemen from Okpara Inland.

“One of the boys who wounded the deputy national president of the UPU, Major-General Patrick Aziza (rtd.), Sunday, (surname withheld) from Oviri-Olomu was sighted in Okpara Inland, we alerted the police in Okpara Inland, where three policemen were detailed to arrest the boy,” the  youth leader said.

“But on getting there, he has gone and the police trailed him to a hideout in Eku”, he added.

A source said, “Attempt to arrest some of the hoodlums seen in the hideout was resisted by another youth leader who ordered his boys to prevent the arrest. The police are badly injured while the car also badly damaged”.

He said it was not true that assassins went to Eku to kill Okoro, adding, the police in Eku and Abraka can attest to this.