SAN FRANCISCO, October 04, (THEWILL) – For many hours on Friday, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Delta Central senatorial district, Hon. Emmanuel Agwariavwodo; the monarch of Agbon Kingdom, HRH Mike Omeru Ukori I; and other PDP leaders as well as mobile policemen in their entourage, were held hostage as they were locked inside the palace of the monarch in Kokori by an angry mob of youths suspected to be loyal to the arrested notorious kidnapper, Kelvin Onirah, who is an indigene of the town.
The mob, said to be protesting the recent arrest of Kelvin and eventual militarisation of the community, had stormed the monarch s palace where the PDP candidate, who had flagged off his campaign on Thursday in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the State , was paying homage to the Kokori monarch.
Eyewitness account said the youths vandalised and burnt many vehicles parked inside and outside the palace opposite the Kokori market even as the mobile police officers in the entourage of the PDP campaign train were helpless as they were also locked inside the palace by the mob.
The leaders and their police escorts were still being held hostages when filing this report on Friday.
Update:
Agwariavwodo and supporters have since been rescued after a team of soldiers led by commanding officer of 222 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel V.C Ibeh were deployed to secure their freedom.
