By Truth Live News Investigative Correspondent, Benin City
The Edo State political landscape has been thrown into turmoil following a damning video circulating on social media in which Tony Adun, popularly known as Tony Kabaka, the APC Youth Leader in Edo State, is accused of involvement in a string of violent crimes, including murder and armed robbery, by members of his own family.
The explosive allegations were levelled against Kabaka in a viral live video by his niece and her husband, Mr. Eddy Idahosa, better known in Benin circles as Eddy Murphy, who is also the younger brother of the Edo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Denis Idahosa. The video, published by CT Naija and independently verified by Truth Live News, has sent shockwaves across political, royal, and community institutions in Edo.
According to Mr. Idahosa, Tony Kabaka is not just a political actor but allegedly the leader of a coordinated criminal ring operating in Benin City, involving close family members in acts of armed robbery and extra-judicial killings. He specifically referenced Kabaka’s brother, Ikpo, who he claimed was arrested by the Nigerian military for a violent armed robbery involving the murder of two police officers during a botched bank heist. Ikpo, he asserted, is currently serving a prison sentence at Oko Correctional Facility.
In one of the most chilling accounts, Mr. Idahosa accused Kabaka of brutally murdering a young man during a private party held in celebration of Kabaka’s twin children. The victim, he alleged, was beaten to death within Kabaka’s residence and clandestinely buried the following day. According to Idahosa, Kabaka later misled the deceased’s family by telling them that their son had travelled to Morocco.
The drama reached the royal court of the Oba of Benin when Tony Kabaka reportedly petitioned for Mr. Idahosa to be summoned before palace chiefs. However, after what was described as a thorough interrogation, the chiefs exonerated Idahosa of all wrongdoing. Kabaka, angered by the outcome, publicly accused the chiefs of betrayal, raising eyebrows about the motivations and integrity of the original petition.
In a later twist, Kabaka claimed in a live broadcast that he never petitioned against Idahosa but only escorted him to the palace to protect him from possible assassination, an assertion that Mr. Idahosa interpreted as an implicit acknowledgment that Kabaka may have knowledge of killings within the palace grounds.
Mr. Idahosa has since called on the Oba’s palace to take swift and public action in response to Kabaka’s statement, warning that failure to do so could be construed as complicity or tacit approval of the alleged criminality.
Further heating the controversy, Kabaka’s own cousin, Idahosa’s wife, delivered a direct and emotional threat during the video broadcast. She stated that if Kabaka continues to mention her husband’s name in public or deny the allegations, she would be compelled to reveal further disturbing truths about his activities, regardless of their family ties. She described Kabaka as “dangerous,” “unrepentant,” and a source of pain within the family.
Idahosa, meanwhile, stated that Kabaka moved his family to Canada, saying he moved his first wife and children abroad out of fear for their safety, citing his multiple involvement in crimes in Edo. He also accused Senator Monday Okpebholo, APC’s gubernatorial candidate, of double standards, claiming that while publicly vowing to fight insecurity and cultism in Edo, he continues to associate closely with Kabaka, “a known cultist and mafia operator.”
All attempts by Truth Live News to reach Tony Kabaka for comment have proven unsuccessful. Multiple calls to his mobile line went unanswered, and text messages sent to his known contact number had not received a reply at the time of this publication. Efforts to contact his media aides also yielded no response.
The allegations, if proven true, strike at the heart of Edo’s security crisis and raise urgent questions about the integrity of key political figures, their affiliations, and the role of traditional institutions in shielding or confronting such behaviour.
Edo citizens, civil society groups, and youth organisations have begun demanding an immediate investigation from both the Nigeria Police Force and the state government. At stake is not just the reputation of one man, but the credibility of an entire political and traditional framework.
As Edo State braces for forthcoming political transitions, the truth behind these allegations may determine more than just personal reputations. It may redefine the values that the state’s leadership claims to uphold.
This is a developing story. Truth Live News will continue to investigate and provide updates as events unfold.