The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who had earlier called for the protection of the protesters by the police, condemned the attack on the protesters by the hoodlums, noting that a thorough investigation would commence immediately to bring the culprits to justice.

The governor, in a statement, added, “I hereby call on the Edo State Police Command to provide adequate security for the protesters and ensure that no one is harassed in the course of exercising their rights.”

Also, the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, charged security agencies to fish out the killers of the #EndSARS protesters in the state within 24 hours.

Addressing the protesters at the Kings Square in Benin City, he said the government would not fold its arms and watch harm come the way of young people exercising their rights.

He added, “We are going to give him a state burial because the martyrs of this struggle must be remembered. He will be remembered for being part of this struggle. He is a martyr already and by the grace of God, he will never be forgotten.”

The Peoples Democratic Party in the state, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, also condemned the attack, saying the behaviour of the attackers was disheartening given that the protest was for their benefit. “Their ignorance is frightening and should be an embarrassment to their sponsors.”

In a peaceful procession to the Government House in Benin, some of the protesters carried a coffin with EndSARS written on it.

There were however fears that the protest might be hijacked by cultists with rival gangs threatening to descend on one another.

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