Police release Julius Abure — hours after arrest for ‘attempted murder’

Julius Abure, national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has been released by the police.

Abure was arrested on Wednesday in Benin City alongside Kelly Ogbaloi, the LP chairman in Edo state.

The police said Abure was arrested over a petition accusing him of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit dangerous harm.

Addressing supporters and party members after his release, Abure said no struggle to liberate a country comes easy.

The LP chairman said he was released by the police on bail following several interventions.

“Let me thank and appreciate all of you here for the solidarity, for the support and for your commitment,” Abure said.

“No struggle to liberate a country comes easy. Many countries of the world where freedom fighters have fought for the emancipation of the people suffer injustice, suffer prosecution and it is what is happening to me and my other colleagues since after the general election.

“After the general election, they have tried to instigate crisis in the party, they tried to bring false accusations against us. They have come to talk about forgery at a time, when it did not work, they came with embezzlement.

“Any person that is aggrieved within the party, they go and instigate them to write petition and to make trouble. And the irony is that the police even act on those things (but) at the end of the day, they will find out that those things are false.

“Yesterday, we were making arrangements for the primaries and of course the police swamped on us, arrested us over what I would not want to discuss now because investigation is going on and therefore, I do not want to preempt them.

“But I must state clearly that following several interventions, they have graciously released me on bail.”