Julius Abure, National Chairman of Nigeria’s embattled Labor Party, has spoken out after his arrest earlier this week in Benin City, Edo State.
The high-profile figure found himself at the center of controversy following allegations made against him by the party’s National Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm.
Anselm claimed that Abure used more than 60 armed thugs to brutally assault him during a party event on December 28, 2023, resulting in injuries and theft of approximately $75,000 and property valued at N4.9 million.
This incident led to a petition filed against Abure, which resulted in his arrest by operatives of Zone 5 Police headquarters.
Despite the serious accusations, Abure was eventually granted bail and released from police custody early Thursday morning.
However, the Edo State Chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi, and the state youth leader remain in custody and are expected to be released soon.
After his release, Abure addressed the party’s supporters, saying, “Let me appreciate all of you for the solidarity, for the support and your commitment. No struggle to liberate the country comes easy.
“In many countries of the world where freedom fighters have fought for the emancipation of the people, freedom fighters suffer injustice, suffer prosecution and it is what is happening to me and my other colleagues since after the general election.”
He continued: “After the general election, they have been trying to instigate crises in the party. They try to bring false accusations against us. They talked about forgery against us at a time when it didn’t work. They came with embezzlement.
“Any person that is aggrieved in the party, they go and instigate them to write a petition against us. The irony is that the police even act on those, and at the end of the day, they discover that those things are false.
“Yesterday, we were making arrangements for the Edo State primaries and of course, the police swooped on us and arrested us over what I will not want to discuss now because the investigation is still going on and therefore we would not want to preempt them.
“But I must state clearly that following several interventions, they have graciously released me on bail except for the Edo State Chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi and the youth leader. They (police) have also promised that by the early hours of Thursday, they will release them. We are hoping that they will fulfil their promise and release them.
“Whatever is happening to me will not discourage me from the struggle. We must continue to pursue the cause of the people. We must continue to fight for our people until we liberate them. I have said it, and I will say it again, it is not capturing power that matters. It is what you do with power.
“Today, APC is in power. Life has become more unbearable for the people. Today, the dollar is exchanging for almost N2,000. Fuel today is sold for N700 per litre. There is even scarcity now, and the price is likely going to increase.
“Inflation, even though it is double digit, it is now above 31 per cent, unemployment has increased, and a bag of rice today is sold for N120, 000, and the minimum wage is N30, 000. You can see the paradox. You can see the irony and Nigerians are in for a difficult time.”
