Edo 2024: Professional group wants security agencies’ intervention on billboards vandalism

Apparently reacting to the the coordinated vandalism of campaign billboards/materials by rival political opponents particularly those of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, the Association of Professional Outdoor Signage Practitioners of Nigeria (APOSPON) Edo State, Wednesday called on the security agencies to wade in and arrest vandals involved in the act.

The association also said it is non-political and that they do not also discriminate in accepting patronage from customers as far as they up with laid down criteria.

Briefing newsmen in Benin City, Chairman of the association in the state Esokpunwu Dave said their advert structures and billboards are under attack and called on all those going about the vandalism and destroying campaigns/advert messages deployed on its billboards to desist from the act.

He said, “These structures are our investments, and they are capital intensive and same can be said of our clients who spend so much money producing advert materials deployed on our structures.

“We cannot fold our hands and watch our investments being destroyed. We are therefore activating every device to protect our investments and source of livelihood from going down the drain.

“We would also like to use this medium to humbly call on the Nigeria police and all other security outfits in Edo State to watch out for vandals and apprehend them.

“We have been engaged to handle political campaigns over the years, this political dispensation shouldn’t be different, we are law abiding citizens doing our business professionally;

“…and we are yet to come to terms with the reason why campaigns deployed on our bill boards are being vandalized or removed this time around.

“We make bold to say that any person so caught perpetrating this act or linked to it in on way of the other will be dealt with according to the law of the land.”

It would be recalled that the Labour Party governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, had few days ago alleged the destruction of his campaign billboards across the state by persons he alleged were agents of Edo State Government, the Edo PDP and other political opponents.