A 48-year-old man, Mr. Anigboro Oghenebrorhie Edward, has alleged that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by suspected political thugs over claims of anti-party activities ahead of the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections in Delta State.
Anigboro, a card-carrying member of the APC from Ovu Ward 5 in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, said the incident occurred on May 10, 2026, while he was returning from a traditional marriage ceremony in Ogor Community, Ughelli North Local Government Area.
According to him, he stopped at a filling station to purchase fuel when some unidentified men emerged from a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV and introduced themselves as fellow APC members from his local government area.
Narrating his ordeal during a telephone interview from an undisclosed location, Anigboro said the encounter turned violent moments after he greeted the men, believing they were members of his party.
“On May 10, 2026, at about 7:00 p.m., I was returning from a friend’s traditional marriage in Ogor. On my way home, I stopped at a filling station to buy fuel when some men came out of a GLK vehicle and introduced themselves as APC members from my local government area. I stretched out my hand to greet them, but instead I received a heavy slap that left me dazed, and before I knew it, I was on the ground,” he said.
He alleged that while pleading for his life, the men accused him of betraying the APC by mobilising his supporters to back another political party ahead of the party primaries. According to him, they claimed he had spent millions of naira to work against the APC and threatened to kill him for what they described as betrayal.
“They said they don’t take a betrayer’s money and accused me of supporting another political party instead of the APC. They threatened to strangle me to death and said they were sending me to join my ancestors, where I could spend the remaining millions I allegedly used against the party,” he alleged.
Anigboro further claimed that he managed to break free by pushing the men away before attempting to flee. While escaping, he said he tripped over a stone, fell, and was struck on the head with what appeared to be a hard object, sustaining a serious injury.
He said that despite the injury, he continued running until he was certain the men had stopped chasing him. According to him, he later noticed blood flowing profusely from his head and could not remember how he eventually arrived at a hospital for treatment. He added that he is currently living in hiding because he fears for his life after the attackers allegedly warned that no security agency would be able to protect him.
Efforts to reach the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Bright Edafe, for comment were unsuccessful as calls to his telephone line did not connect. However, a police source at the Ughelli ‘A’ Division, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the incident had been reported and said efforts were ongoing to track down the perpetrators.