Benin, Edo – Convoy of the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo was on Thursday attacked by armed thugs suspected to be loyal to the state government.

This was contained in a statement issued by Godswill Inegbe, a legislative aide to Senator Okpebholo.

According to the statement, the brutal attack which took place while Okpebholo, deputy governor Philip Shaibu was on their way from the Benin airport left one dead.

"This afternoon, the motorcade of Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC governorship candidate, was brutally attacked on his way from Benin Airport by members of Edo State Security Network and Edo state government sponsored thugs allegedly led by Francis Inegbeniki.

"During the unprovoked brutal attack, three mobile policemen attached to the security detail of Senator Okpebholo were injured with bullets wound, while one of the policemen has been declared dead!

"Senator Monday Okpebholo is at this moment admitted in an undisclosed hospital in Benin receiving medical attention, and other members of his entourage who were victims of the brutal attack are in various hospitals in Benin City.", The statement read

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP reported that undisclosed number of persons were injured on when armed thugs fired shots at the convoy of Senator Okpebholo and Shaibu as they were leaving the Benin Airport on arrival from Abuja.

The yet-to-be-identified gunmen in a Toyota Sienna bus were said to positioned themselves at the exit gate to the airport, reportedly opened fire on the convoy leading Okpebholo and Shaibu which led to a reprisal gunshots by armed security details attached to the APC candidate and Shaibu.

The incident caused panic among residents and passersby with businesses hurriedly closed and drivers abandoning their vehicles to escape being caught in crossfire.

It took the intervention of the mobile squad of the Nigeria Police to bring the situation under control.

LEADERSHIP further reported that the attackers were dislodged by the police who fired shots that subsequently forced them to flee in their vehicle.

This incident occurred just a day after the ruling of a Federal Court in Abuja, reinstating Shaibu as the Deputy Governor and a directive that the Inspector General of Police should restore his security details following the nullification of his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, the office of the state’s deputy governor, Marvellous Omobayo, located at Osadebey Avenue in the Government Reservation Area of the state was taken over by men of the Edo State Security Network on Thursday.

It was however unclear if Omobayo was in the office at the time the ESSN men took charge of his office.

Shaibu who was received by large numbers of youths, had earlier instructed the crowd to join his convoy to the office before the violent clash.

The Judge, Justice J. K. Omotosho in a judgement on Wednesday, set aside the impeachment of the former deputy governor.

The State House of Assembly has also appealed the ruling and filed a stay of execution on the judgement pending the appeal.

Shaibu fell out with Governor Obaseki over his ambition to succeed his boss which snowballed into the political feud leading to his eventual impeachment.