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From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
Delta State Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Reuben Izeze, has been remanded in custody for 14 days and suspended indefinitely by the state government for his alleged involvement in an assault at an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun.
Izeze was arraigned by the Delta State Police Command on Monday before the State High Court, Effurun, near Warri, and subsequently remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Okere.
The arraignment followed an alleged assault on the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Protocol, Simon Mudi, popularly known as Temple, during the disruption of the APC stakeholders’ meeting.
The specific charges against the commissioner were not immediately available as of press time.
A video circulating on social media showed Izeze being escorted into a police Sienna vehicle shortly after the court proceedings before he was driven away from the court premises.
The development followed an earlier claim by Izeze that the Chairman of Uvwie Local Government, Tony Ofoni, was responsible for an attack on him during the disruption of the APC stakeholders’ meeting.
Following the clash, the Delta State Government condemned the violence and directed security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the incident.
In a separate development, the state government announced the indefinite suspension of Izeze from office with immediate effect.
The suspension was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Kingsley Emu.
According to the statement, the suspension was necessary to enable security agencies to conduct an unbiased investigation into allegations linking Izeze to the assault on Mudi at the PTI, Effurun.
The government stressed that the suspension did not amount to a determination of guilt, but was an administrative measure intended to allow the investigation to proceed without interference.
It reaffirmed its commitment to public safety, law and order, and the protection of lives, stressing that these principles applied equally even when government officials and institutions were involved.
