The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress
has said 30 of its members have so far been killed during
various political crises that rocked the state in the past
few months.
The chairman of the party in the state, Davis Ikanya, who
stated this in a statement Thursday, however, lamented that
the police had not made any arrest in connection with the
killings.
He accused the members of the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party of being behind the killings.
“Our investigations showed that we have lost no fewer than
30 of our members and supporters in political attacks
instigated in parts of the State by agents of the opposition
Peoples Democratic Party,” he said.
“As painful as this is, we are miffed that no single arrest
has been made by the police in connection with these
politically-motivated killings calculated to intimidate and
annihilate us as a political party.”
Mr. Ikanya said those behind the killings were increasingly
becoming emboldened by the day as demonstrated by their
brazen attack on APC gubernatorial train in Okrika, the
home town of the wife of the president, Patience Jonathan,
on February 18.
According to him, the shooting, bombing and successful
disruption of Okrika rally was aimed principally at
eliminating the APC governorship candidate, Dakuku
Peterside and the successful kidnapping of Fred Ndigbara, a
civil servant working in the media unit of Governor Rotimi
Amaechi.
‘We indeed need no soothsayer to tell us that we are no
longer protected but now endangered species,” he said.
“When a political party is denied the right to canvas for
votes in an assumed democratic system, as has been done
to us in Okrika, we can only conclude that Nigeria is slowly
but steadily slipping into a state of anarchy.
“With the lives of our people threatened on daily basis, with
the security agencies looking the other way, we have every
reason to wonder if the PDP-controlled Federal Government
is truly serious that elections will hold in Rivers State during
the general elections scheduled for March and April.”
The APC chairman commended the Inspector General of
Police, Suleiman Abba, “for ordering full investigation into
the madness that happened at Okrika, where one of the
policemen providing security at our rally was brutally killed”.
He also commended Assistant Inspector General of Police
in charge of Zone 6, Tunde Ogunsakin, for ordering Rivers
State Commissioner of Police, Dan Bature, to rescue Mr.
Ndigbara from the hands of those that kidnapped him while
on a democratic duty during the rally of APC at Khana
recently.
“We however wish to emphasise that something serious
must be done soon to avoid us losing hope on the ability of
the police to secure our lives,” Mr. Ikanya said.
“PDP and its promoters can’t be allowed to continue to act
with impunity as if the police are an extension of the party
as being boasted by some of its chieftains.
“It is very unfortunate and sad that a Police Force that is
being sustained and maintained by our taxes should allow
its reputation to be ruined by a group of people who do not
mean well for our State.”
The APC chairman demanded “the immediate rescue of
Fred Ndigbara, a harmless fellow whose only crime is
belonging to APC, and that adequate protection be accorded
to our gubernatorial candidate and the entire APC leadership
in Rivers State.”
“We also demand a stop to the further harassment of our
members. We are full citizens of this country and we can no
longer tolerate being treated like second class citizens,” he
said.
He said the party commiserated with the family of the slain
policeman, police corporal, Ifeanyi Okorie, and assured that
it would do everything humanly possible to ensure that his
children are given the best education that they need to
succeed in life. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL AND TOUCHING NIGERIAN CELEBRITIES BIOGRAPHY AND SCANDALS
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