Inside Edo
So, a journalist was slapped by Kelvin Okungbowa?
Written By: Abdullahi Izuagbe
09 Dec 2025 04:33 AM
Remember Jimmy Cliff the pioneer of reggae music from Jamaica who passed away weeks ago at 81.
In 1984 he was thrown into jail in Nigeria following a dispute with his musical tour sponsor. To document the event, he released a song titled HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS
Today, like Jimmy Cliff, I am asking whether you have heard the trending news from Nigeria that Mr. Kingsley Okungbowa, aka Ebo Stone, slapped Mrs Juliet Asein an Edo Broadcasting Service( EBS), Benin journalist in Edo State Government House during a public event? Terrible!! By his action, he broke the Shakespearean mantle.
Yes he committed a novel sacrilegious offence in the history of not only in Edo State but in the whole world. See, i have never heard that a sitting military or civilian governor, secretary to the state government, head of service, commissioner, managing director in public service physically slap a journalist on the streets of Benin City let alone in the hallowed sanctum sanatorium of the seat of power in Edo State.
Or have you heard even real power brokers around the world slap a journalist? No!
When they encounter an 'errant" journalist, so to speak, they react in civilized, freeborn ways.
Take the case of Prince Charles of Wales in the United Kingdom, heir-apparent to the British throne. Journalists on one occasion were negatively reporting him as well as the British throne. He didn"t slap or punch any one of them. Rather, he bid his time for a sweet swipe at them. It came when they were invited to cover his gardening project. As he sprayed water with a hose on the crops at the event, he suddenly turned the equipment on the journalists. Behold, they were bathed with water!! He instantly offered apologies for the "error" and everybody laughed.
Also, I recall that during Gulf War 1 America embedded their reporters among her troops in their war campaign to remove President Saddam Hussein of Iraq from office. America was unhappy with CNN's news stories about the war. So, America merely sent Richard Roth, the CNN reporter, back home. No harm was done to him. He wasn't assaulted by any general of America the most powerful nation on earth.
However, here we have in our dirty hands a sordid case in Edo State of Kelly Okungbowa slapping Mrs Juliet Asein, a journalist, within the precincts of Government House, Benin capital of Edo State in Nigeria. Yet, he is not only a visiting guest of the state government. He is no more a public employee or aide of government having earlier on been relieved of his appointment as Edo Safety Response Team in a controversial situation.
Certainly, what Kelvin Okungbowa has done deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!!
This is because it is an unparalleled life misadventure unheard of in any part of the world.
The incident is one that puts Edo State in much more bad global limelight at a time when news already emerging from Edo State is reprehensible. Firstly, the world shuddered in disbelief how Kelvin Okungbowa from the state was arrested in March 2025 by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) over a serious allegation of spraying the Nigerian naira currency at a club. At the end of the day, nothing was heard of the case.
While the world was trying to reason whether Edo State has joined the league of states and nations with Nietzschean supermen who are above the law, another ugly story came out of Edo State.
It was how former Governor Godwin Obaseki mismanaged MOWAA and Radisson Blu Hotel projects being executed with international capital. The ripple effect of this shameful issue is yet to settle in the investment world when news filled the global space that the Edo State Government had revoked PRESCO's Certificate of Occupancy covering 13,545 hectares of land the oil palm giant acquired legally for expansion.
The state government's damage control strategies are still in place battling to refute the story carried in the Vanguard newspaper of November 26, 2025. Now, another unsavoury news has emerged from Edo State that Kelvin Okungbowa slapped a journalist right there in Edo State Government House, Benin the seat of power of Governor Monday Okpebholo at a time Obaseki is serially accusing him and his APC party of threatening his life even in his hideaway in far United Kingdom.
As if this is not enough, the Kelvin Okungbowa unwholesome debacle also occured at a time the global community in one voice is embarking on 16 days of activism against gender' based violence. Invariably, because of Kelvin Okungbowa's misdeed, Edo State is today in the global spotlight for a bad reason.
Also, we should not ignore the fact that Nigerian women at home and in diaspora are equally horrified by the action of Kelvin Okungbowa.
It is to curb such violence against women that inspired the Tinubu administration is planning to hold in Edo State next year a maiden edition of the Conference of National Council of Women's Societies on the clean banner of Edo State Government's encouraging war to end violence against women in its jurisdictional area of Edo State.
But, as I write this article, the banner unfortunately is no longer immaculate white. Kelvin Okungbowa has stained it leaving in tears Governor Monday Okpebholo and the Coordinator of the Office of Edo First Lady, Mrs Josephine Edesili Anani, all working hard to restore the dignity of women in Edo State.
The way forward in Kelvin Okungbowa's case? Here it is. Apology by him is irrelevant. Crocodiles apologetically shed tears when eating their sprey and victims!! It is the state governor who needs to apologize to the civilized world why he hasn't sanctioned the heads of Edo Security Corps, Department of State Security and Nigeria Police at the Government House, Benin for allowing Kelvin Okungbowa to drive out a free man after slapping a person in Government House.
It is sad that Edo Security Corps claims to be transversing the whole Edo State fighting cultism, kidnapping, vandals; arsonists, armed robbers and other categories of violence entrepreneurs. Yet, it looked away and refused to arrest Kelvin Okungbowa that allegedly committed an offence under its very nose. Physician , heal thyself!!
Well, it is not too late to act. When you wake is your morning, says an Edo proverb. Law enforcement agents should arrest Kelvin Okungbowa, investigate and prosecute him for physical assault and disturbing public peace or for engaging in gender violence.
When found guilty, he should be sent to jail. Subsequently he should be made to take anger management classes. It is only after this education, he can be pardoned on the condition that he serves the remainder of his prison term as a peace ambassador.
In 1984 he was thrown into jail in Nigeria following a dispute with his musical tour sponsor. To document the event, he released a song titled HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS
Today, like Jimmy Cliff, I am asking whether you have heard the trending news from Nigeria that Mr. Kingsley Okungbowa, aka Ebo Stone, slapped Mrs Juliet Asein an Edo Broadcasting Service( EBS), Benin journalist in Edo State Government House during a public event? Terrible!! By his action, he broke the Shakespearean mantle.
Yes he committed a novel sacrilegious offence in the history of not only in Edo State but in the whole world. See, i have never heard that a sitting military or civilian governor, secretary to the state government, head of service, commissioner, managing director in public service physically slap a journalist on the streets of Benin City let alone in the hallowed sanctum sanatorium of the seat of power in Edo State.
Or have you heard even real power brokers around the world slap a journalist? No!
When they encounter an 'errant" journalist, so to speak, they react in civilized, freeborn ways.
Take the case of Prince Charles of Wales in the United Kingdom, heir-apparent to the British throne. Journalists on one occasion were negatively reporting him as well as the British throne. He didn"t slap or punch any one of them. Rather, he bid his time for a sweet swipe at them. It came when they were invited to cover his gardening project. As he sprayed water with a hose on the crops at the event, he suddenly turned the equipment on the journalists. Behold, they were bathed with water!! He instantly offered apologies for the "error" and everybody laughed.
Also, I recall that during Gulf War 1 America embedded their reporters among her troops in their war campaign to remove President Saddam Hussein of Iraq from office. America was unhappy with CNN's news stories about the war. So, America merely sent Richard Roth, the CNN reporter, back home. No harm was done to him. He wasn't assaulted by any general of America the most powerful nation on earth.
However, here we have in our dirty hands a sordid case in Edo State of Kelly Okungbowa slapping Mrs Juliet Asein, a journalist, within the precincts of Government House, Benin capital of Edo State in Nigeria. Yet, he is not only a visiting guest of the state government. He is no more a public employee or aide of government having earlier on been relieved of his appointment as Edo Safety Response Team in a controversial situation.
Certainly, what Kelvin Okungbowa has done deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!!
This is because it is an unparalleled life misadventure unheard of in any part of the world.
The incident is one that puts Edo State in much more bad global limelight at a time when news already emerging from Edo State is reprehensible. Firstly, the world shuddered in disbelief how Kelvin Okungbowa from the state was arrested in March 2025 by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) over a serious allegation of spraying the Nigerian naira currency at a club. At the end of the day, nothing was heard of the case.
While the world was trying to reason whether Edo State has joined the league of states and nations with Nietzschean supermen who are above the law, another ugly story came out of Edo State.
It was how former Governor Godwin Obaseki mismanaged MOWAA and Radisson Blu Hotel projects being executed with international capital. The ripple effect of this shameful issue is yet to settle in the investment world when news filled the global space that the Edo State Government had revoked PRESCO's Certificate of Occupancy covering 13,545 hectares of land the oil palm giant acquired legally for expansion.
The state government's damage control strategies are still in place battling to refute the story carried in the Vanguard newspaper of November 26, 2025. Now, another unsavoury news has emerged from Edo State that Kelvin Okungbowa slapped a journalist right there in Edo State Government House, Benin the seat of power of Governor Monday Okpebholo at a time Obaseki is serially accusing him and his APC party of threatening his life even in his hideaway in far United Kingdom.
As if this is not enough, the Kelvin Okungbowa unwholesome debacle also occured at a time the global community in one voice is embarking on 16 days of activism against gender' based violence. Invariably, because of Kelvin Okungbowa's misdeed, Edo State is today in the global spotlight for a bad reason.
Also, we should not ignore the fact that Nigerian women at home and in diaspora are equally horrified by the action of Kelvin Okungbowa.
It is to curb such violence against women that inspired the Tinubu administration is planning to hold in Edo State next year a maiden edition of the Conference of National Council of Women's Societies on the clean banner of Edo State Government's encouraging war to end violence against women in its jurisdictional area of Edo State.
But, as I write this article, the banner unfortunately is no longer immaculate white. Kelvin Okungbowa has stained it leaving in tears Governor Monday Okpebholo and the Coordinator of the Office of Edo First Lady, Mrs Josephine Edesili Anani, all working hard to restore the dignity of women in Edo State.
The way forward in Kelvin Okungbowa's case? Here it is. Apology by him is irrelevant. Crocodiles apologetically shed tears when eating their sprey and victims!! It is the state governor who needs to apologize to the civilized world why he hasn't sanctioned the heads of Edo Security Corps, Department of State Security and Nigeria Police at the Government House, Benin for allowing Kelvin Okungbowa to drive out a free man after slapping a person in Government House.
It is sad that Edo Security Corps claims to be transversing the whole Edo State fighting cultism, kidnapping, vandals; arsonists, armed robbers and other categories of violence entrepreneurs. Yet, it looked away and refused to arrest Kelvin Okungbowa that allegedly committed an offence under its very nose. Physician , heal thyself!!
Well, it is not too late to act. When you wake is your morning, says an Edo proverb. Law enforcement agents should arrest Kelvin Okungbowa, investigate and prosecute him for physical assault and disturbing public peace or for engaging in gender violence.
When found guilty, he should be sent to jail. Subsequently he should be made to take anger management classes. It is only after this education, he can be pardoned on the condition that he serves the remainder of his prison term as a peace ambassador.
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