The All Progressives Congress has traded blames of the demolition of the residential quarters of staff of the University of Benin by the Edo State Government and the protests that followed.

It would be recalled that both staff and students of UNIBEN had on Tuesday protested the demolition of over 15 residential bungalows at the General Residential Area in Benin by the state government.

The protest, however, turned violent when some persons, alleged to be students of the university set ablaze a government mass transit bus on the Benin-Lagos expressway on Wednesday and barricaded the busy road for several hours.

The State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, had earlier condemned the action of the state government, whom he accused of taking the state to the “Stone Age.”

“What happened is sad, barbaric and has brought the state back to 20 years and has reminded us of the Stone Age,” he said.

The leadership of the APC, however, accused Orbih of using a faction of the Students Union Government of the university to destroy government property.

The State Chairman, Mr. Anselm Ojezua, in statement in Benin, also called for the arrest of the PDP Chairman and other leaders of the party “for sponsoring arson,” adding that the APC was aware of the plans by the opposition party to “inject thugs into the ranks of students of the university” and unleash mayhem on unsuspecting members of the public.

Ojezua said, “We call on the Commissioner of Police, Edo State, to arrest and interrogate Mr. Orbih and other PDP leaders for sponsoring arson and stop their further plan to create mayhem in the state.

“It is sad that in the name of politics, Mr. Orbih has resorted to crude tactics and is planning to unleash PDP thugs on hapless people of the state. We call on the Commissioner of Police to act fast as the APC would not fold its hands and watch Dan Orbih and his thugs make the state ungovernable.”

Reacting, however, Orbih debunked the allegation and accused the State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, of precipitating the crisis.

“It was the governor’s action that precipitated the crisis. So, the police should arrest the governor and others to account for his action in ordering the demolition of the University of Benin property,” he said.