A prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Julius Bello, popularly called De Lord Ogata, has been confirmed dead after an alleged brutal attack by his own son, Irobudo, in Fugar community of Etsako Central Local Government Area.
Police sources indicate that the 28-year-old suspect used a sledgehammer to deliver fatal blows to his father’s head. Irobudo is currently on the run, while detectives have opened a full investigation into the incident.
The shocking nature of the killing has left both the Bello family and the wider Fugar community in deep distress, with questions emerging about how alleged prophetic pronouncements may have poisoned the father-son relationship.
The deceased, who served as APC Ward Three Chairman in Fugar, was attacked and killed on Sunday, just days after Irobudo returned home from Lagos.
According to family members, the young man had reportedly been told by certain prophets that his father was the spiritual cause of his prolonged poverty and lack of progress. Those alleged claims are said to have bred deep resentment and suspicion, which eventually boiled over into the deadly confrontation.
A homecoming that should have been a joyful reunion between father and son instead ended in horror. Relatives are now mourning the sudden loss of their family head under such traumatic circumstances.
Bello, a well-known political figure in his ward, sustained severe head injuries that proved fatal.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, confirmed that the matter had been formally reported and that investigations were already under way.
She disclosed that the suspect is still at large and that operatives are working to piece together the full sequence of events and bring him into custody.
The police are expected to unravel the motive behind the attack and determine the sequence of events that led to the tragic death of the APC chieftain.