By Simeon OSAJIE
The management of Ossiomo Power Company has raised the alarm over what it described as an unjustified arrest of 10 of its private security personnel safeguarding its multi-billion naira property at Ologbo in Ikpo-Okha local government area of Edo State.
Ossiomo Power Company stated that the unwanted arrest was carried out by the Divisional Police Officer in Ologbo police station on Friday at the premises of the company.
A press statement by the management disclosed that Chief Johnson Atsetileghe, and other unidentified mainly Itsekiri persons had gone to the company premises with the mobile policemen from MOPOL 5 (Benin City) and ordered all the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) out of their duty posts, and arrested 10 of them in the process.
Only on Thursday 27th August, some Itsekiri youths from the community prevented the Ossiomo Power Company attempt to restart electricity supply to Benin City and its environs.
The youths believed to be fronting for a Chinese firm known as Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd (CCETC), have since early November, 2025, forcefully and illegally disrupted the operations of the company’s gas plant, thereby preventing the Ossiomo Power Company from providing electricity power to its teeming customers.
It was further alleged that the policemen also drove away the bricklayers employed by the Ossiomo Power to work at its shopping mall.
It was discovered that the DPO’s men and the Mobile Police from MOPOL 5 (Prince Johnson’s escorts) also broke down our gates, creating our fear that the absence of our security men will create the opportunity to vandalise and steal our property.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Edo State Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem in a telephone interview with The9JaTREND correspondent stated that, “The command received the intelligence on the presence of armed men brandishing firearms within the premises of Ossiomo Power Company and fear of them being thugs and all that were trying to sabotage the company.
“The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area was notified to quickly rush down to the company and upon getting there, sighted some men, some of them bearing arms and some bearing outlawed inscription of an outlawed outfit.
“About nine of them were arrested. The others fled away. Some factions were recovered from them and some live cartridges.
“So, they confessed to being members of the outlawed Oduwa People’s Congress (OPC). And about the firearm, they confessed that it was given to them by the owners of the company, Ossiomo Company.
“Ossiomo Company are not dealers of firearms. They are dealers of firearms license. So, the company’s authority have been contacted to come and clarify these issues which the Edo State Police Command is already in communication with them.
“The Commission of Police has ordered for the immediate transfer of that case since yesterday and of course, personally wants to have a one-on-one with Ossiomo Company.
“Investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain that these persons are not suspected hired mercenaries to cause mayhem in Edo State.”