Five feared dead, 3 Councils’ secretariats burnt as Rivers violence escalates

 

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Ibrahim Quadri

 

No fewer than five persons have been reportedly killed, many injured, with three local government secretariats burnt down on Monday by suspected thugs, in the political crisis rocking Rivers State.

Our correspondent reports that aside the 3 secretariats of Eleme, Emohua and Ikwerre local government areas that were burnt down, council headquarters of, Khana, Ahoada East, Etche, Oyigbo, Obio/Akpor and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGAs were heavily attacked with gunmen shooting sporadically.

While many sustained degrees of injuries, 2 persons were said to have been shot dead in Khana and Ahoada East LGAs, while a viral video on social media shows that 3 persons were allegedly killed in Oyigbo local government area.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara had, while swearing-in 23 local government Chairmen elected during last Saturday raised the alarm that supporters of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike are mobilizing 20 persons per unit to attack council secretariats on Monday.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka while leading a protest against the conduct of the October 5 LGA elections, threatened that they would cause mayhem in the state and that if there would be peace in the state, the Rivers State Government and the State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, must obey the September 30 Federal High Court judgment and stop the election process.

But the RSIEC eventually went ahead with the election, which despite going smoothly, the state also recorded two dynamite explosions at the Tony Okocha-led APC secretariat and another facility close to the Obio/Akpor local government secretariat.

On Monday, Drama started few hours after the Nigerian Police Force announced the lifting of the over three months siege on all 23 LGA Secretariats in the State, on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, after the October 5 council polls and subsequent swearing-in of new Chairmen by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara the next day.

Daily Champion gathered that scores of youths suspected to be supporters of the FCT Minister barricaded the gates of Emohua Council chanting “No Wike, No Rivers State, while gunshots were heard renting the air.

The case was not different in Ahoada East, Khana, Oyigbo and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGAs as youths in their numbers destroyed properties at the facilities.

There was also an initial report that some youths had attempted to barricade the Port Harcourt City LGA secretariat earlier on Monday, when the Chairman, Ezebunwo Ichemati and his entourage tried to access the council secretariat. The crisis was however, foiled when the men sighted the chairmen, councillors and supporters arriving at the council.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Governor, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo has lamented the unrest in the state and the burning of some local government secretariats.

Oko-Jumbo spoke on Monday when the Assembly screened and confirmed, Evans Bipi, Benibo Anabraba, Israel Lebura Mgbuelu all former members of the Assembly and Otamiri John Ngubo as commissioners designate.

During the sitting, the Speaker noted that the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has shown exceptional restraints in the face of provocation which the Assembly aligns with, calling on the Inspector General of Police to carry out his constitutional duties by going after those burning down government infrastructures in the state.

As at the time of filing this report, the Rivers State Police Command was yet to comment on the incident.

Meanwhile former Deputy National Leader of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has urged President Bola Tinubu to advise FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to allow Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to work having successfully conducted the local government election in the State.

Atona Oodua of Yorubaland therefore warned former Governor of Rivers, Wike to allow Fubara work and deliver dividend of democracy to the people, saying anyone ambition must not be at variance with people’s expectations.

This was contained in a statement he personally signed titled, ‘Rivers crisis: Chief Bode George writes Tinubu, Wike, Fubara.’ noting “I say this with all sense of responsibility because if this democracy is truncated, God forbid,  Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief, will be the biggest loser.”

George said, “All lovers of democracy will agree with me that political  happenings in this oil-bearing state in the last few months, if allowed to continue, can lead to a re-enactment of the crisis in the defunct Western Region between 1962 and 1966 which eventually led to the first military coup of January 15, 1966. Many of our national figures were killed and events of that day led to a second coup on July 29, 1966 when scores of military officers were killed.

“Since history is no longer taught in our schools, I want to remind the gladiators in this Rivers crisis that the January and July 1966 killings eventually led to the civil war between July 6, 1967 and January 15, 1970. Close to two million Nigerians died in the war.

“I am raising this alarm because what is happening in Rivers now is a cause for serious concern for everyone.

“My understanding of this man-made crisis is that there is a despotic, divisive, wicked and anti-people design to create a conflagration which may eventually consume our country.

“We all know the economic importance of Rivers to the survival of this nation. It is the gateway to the Niger Delta.

“Any threat to peace in this state will eventually lead to huge security implications, not only for Nigeria but West Africa and Africa.

“It is good to have political ambition, to be the alpha and omega in a partisan setting but this ambition must not be at variance with the expectations of the people.

“Some have said what is happening can be traced to 2027 elections’ calculations. I believe it is too early to start strategising for a partisan event which is still close to 28 months away.”

Continuing, the PDP chieftain added, “One thing is clear: Nyesom Wike was governor of the state for eight years. He left the Government House in May last year and today, he is the FCT Minister. Sir Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi were governors before him. Now that Governor Fubara is the Chief Executive of the state, he should be allowed to work. Nobody stays in office forever.

“By 2027, people of Rivers State will decide, through their votes, if they want him to return to office or not. This is how political issues and ambitions are handled in civilised climes.”

He warned, “The way this partisan crisis is going, if not checked, may collapse our democracy.

“Now that council chairmen and councillors have been elected, I appeal to Nyesom Wike to please give peace a chance. Tinubu must also call Wike and tell him to allow the governor to work.

“We know Wike sponsored and supported Fubara to become governor but somebody also supported Wike to be governor from 2015 to 2023. Somebody also nominated him to serve as minister. God will always use somebody to help anybody but nobody is God.”

Finally, President Bola Tinubu has called on Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, political leaders and their supporters in Rivers to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law.

In response to recent tensions following last Saturday’s local government council election, the President expressed deep concern over reports of arson and explosions in the state.

He urged all political actors to de-escalate the situation and discourage their supporters from engaging in violence or destructive actions, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement.

President Tinubu directed the police to restore and maintain peace, law and order immediately.

While instructing law enforcement agencies to bring the situation under control, he emphasised the need to ensure the security of public institutions.

Tinubu said government facilities built with public funds must be safeguarded from vandalism.

He stressed that self-help has no place in a democratic system, especially after 25 years of continuous democracy.

According to Tinubu, the judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of the election should be no exception.

Worried over the situation, The Ijaw National Congress (INC) Worldwide, has urged President Bola Tinubu to pay close attention to political developments in Rivers to avert breakdown of law and order.

Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President INC said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike have been at a loggerheads over the political soul of the state.

He said the political tension in the state was capable of breaching public peace and threatening democracy in the state.

“Rivers is of special interest to the INC as lots of ljaw people are indigenes of the state.

“The INC believes that the issues we are dealing with in Rivers are far beyond political godfatherism, but that of desperation for state capture by all means and at all cost.

“The extent to which some of the dramatis personae are going with their self-seeking adventurous activities is quite worrisome as it appears that they do not care if democracy is truncated in Nigeria.

“Local Government elections are not new in Nigeria. Indeed, it is a constitutional requirement that falls within the legislative purview of the states’’, he said.

He said three states in Nigeria, Akwa-Ibom, Benue and Jigawa conducted Local Government elections at the same time as Rivers with less rancour.

“It begs questioning why the elections in Rivers attracted such desperation and attention to the extent that the courts and the Nigerian Police became over-interested participants in the drama,” the INC President said.

Okaba further said INC could not comprehend how a Federal High Court would restrain the Police from performing her constitutional responsibilities.

“It is the opinion of Congress that the Rivers Local Government elections have come and gone and so it is time to now give peace a chance in the state.

“Since elections are periodic exercises, we advise those that disagree with Gov. Sim Fubara to wait for next elections.

“They should demonstrate the civilised spirit of good sportsmanship in the interest of the peace and development of the state in particular and Nigeria in general.

“Let everyone be reminded that a similar situation in the defunct South-Western Nigeria between Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola led to the truncating of Nigeria’s first republic.

“History can brutally repeat itself if people refuse to learn”, Okaba also said.

The INC president also congratulated the newly elected chairmen and council members.

In view of the recent political developments in Rivers State, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun has unsealed the 23 local government headquarters, after almost four months blockade.
The 23 local government headquarters across the state were sealed by the police June 18 following the tension created in the state between supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, after former council chairmen loyal to Wike vowed never to vacate office at the expiration of their tenure.
IGP Egbetokun however, ordered police officers deployed to the council headquarters to vacate with immediate effect, after the conduct of the local government elections on Saturday, as the newly sworn-in democratically elected local government chairmen, their deputies and councilors are expected to resume office across the 23 councils today.
The newly deployed Commissioner of Police to Rivers State, CP Bala Mustapha conveyed the directives of the IGP in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Grace Iringe-Koko on Monday.
The new Rivers CP in the statement stated that the decision of the IGP is in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.
The statement reads in part; “Consequently, the IGP has ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariats, which were earlier secured by police personnel. The police will only be redeployed to these locations in the event of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.”
The Rivers Police Command however assured the public of its readiness to maintain peace and order across the state and will continue to act professionally in discharging its duties. We urge all residents and stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding as the situation continues to evolve.