By SIMON EBEGBULEM
THE Chairman of Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Alhaji Sufiyanu Igbafen and the Senator representing Edo North district, Senator Yisa Braimoh, weekend, engaged in a war of words over allegation by the chairman, that the Senator brought in thugs from neighouring states to register in Ihievbe, with a view to using them to rig the forthcoming elections in Edo North.

It will be recalled that some youths loaded in two buses, who were said to have been imported from neighboring states to  register in the Senator’s home town, Ihievbe, were arrested by the police in Benin, weekend.

But reacting, Senator Braimoh, through a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 5, Benin, accused officials of the Owan East council in collaboration with the official of the State Security Service, SSS, in the area, of arresting innocent citizens of the area, who chose to register in Ihievbe in the ongoing voters registration exercise.

In the petition  by his lawyer, he argued that “residency is not a condition precedent for any body to register in any place. What the law requires is that you register in the center you intend to cast your vote.

“We are using this medium to request you to use your good office to order the release of all those arrested by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO and the SSS,”he added in the petition.