BENIN CITY, EDO STATE — The quiet of Benin City’s GRA was shattered by gunfire on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, as a high-stakes political gathering involving Peter Obi, Olumide Akpata SAN, and former Governor John Odigie-Oyegun came under a terrifying “double drive-by” assault.
The violence, which began at the ADC Secretariat and trailed the opposition leaders to Oyegun’s private home, has ignited a fierce war of words. While the Edo State Government dismisses the bloodletting as an “intra-party conflict,” ADC Chieftain Olumide Akpata has branded the incident a calculated attempt to “terrorize” the electorate into staying home ahead of the 2027 cycle.
The Trail of Blood
The chaos erupted shortly after a rally held to receive Akpata following his defection from the Labour Party. At the ADC Secretariat on Ogbelaka Street, armed hoodlums stormed the venue, smashing bottles and vandalizing property.
“My cousin’s head was smashed with a bottle at the ADC Secretariat in Benin,” Akpata revealed, describing the raw brutality of the initial encounter. But the nightmare didn’t end there. As the convoy—carrying Peter Obi, Odigie-Oyegun, and former Governor Oserheimen Osunbor—retreated to Oyegun’s residence for safety, the assailants followed.
The Siege at the GRA
At the residence, gunmen opened fire sporadically. Security details from the DSS were forced to shove the political leaders back into the sitting room as bullets riddled the iron gates and shattered the windshields of parked vehicles.
“This was a clear message being sent to electorates,” Akpata stated. “That they’d participate in the electoral process at the risk of life and limb; they are better off staying at home. That’s an attack on democracy.”
“Nobody is Buying It” – The Government Response
Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration moved quickly to categorize the violence as internal wrangling within the ADC. However, Akpata has dismissed the government’s narrative as “ridiculous,” arguing that the state is attempting to cover up state-sponsored intimidation.
“Nobody is buying the Edo Government’s claim of intra-party conflict,” Akpata retorted. “They are trying to blame the victims for the bullets fired at them.”
A Nation in Turmoil
The Benin City siege is just one chapter in a week of national upheaval:
- The IGP Scandal: In Abuja, Omoyele Sowore is blasting the new IGP, Tunji Disu, for allowing his units to “mess up” the first 48 hours of his tenure by obstructing the bail of Tracy Ohiri.
- The Fintiri Fallout: In Adamawa, Governor Fintiri is facing backlash for defecting to the APC while his hometown was still burying 25 victims of a terror massacre.
- The Humanitarian Crisis: The United Nations has confirmed a $347 million shortfall in aid, leaving millions in the North-East facing imminent starvation.
From the remand of Abubakar Malami in Kuje to the 10,000 bandits in Bauchi, the Nigerian state appears to be fracturing. In Edo, the message from the opposition is clear: the “national cake” is being defended with lead, and the cost of dissent is becoming increasingly physical.
