Suspected political thugs have attacked the Edo State secretariat of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Benin City.
Reports said the assailants shattered windows and damaged other items at the party’s office located on Ogbelaka Street.
Residents in the area, however, prevented the attackers from setting the building on fire.
Confirming the incident, the Edo State Chairman of the ADC, Kennedy Odion, said the suspected thugs intended to raze the secretariat.
“They destroyed all the windows and other items in the building before ADC sympathisers in the area came to our rescue,” Mr Odion said.
He alleged that the attack was politically motivated, claiming that some politicians want the ADC out of the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Some politicians want the ADC to leave the state so that no other political party will contest the 2027 election with them,” he said.
Mr Odion stressed that elections are a democratic process that requires the participation of all political parties, noting that freedom of association remains a constitutional right.
“Nobody can be forced to join a political party against their choice,” he added.
He said the incident had been reported to security agencies and urged them to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Also confirming the attack, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, said the incident was reported to the police at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
She said police operatives were immediately deployed to the scene to restore normalcy, adding that a preliminary assessment revealed malicious damage to party flags and two shattered windows at the premises.
According to her, security has been reinforced in the area to prevent further attacks, while investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible.