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Campaign leader Rivers kidnapped, APC claims police compromise
The All Progressives Congress chapter in Rivers State said Opobo/Nkoro Opobo Local Government Area campaign manager Boma Brown was abducted Tuesday by suspected political thugs at the site of a planned rally in the area.
The APC in response accused the police of compromising, claiming that police officers were on the ground when the attack took place.
The party’s gubernatorial candidate Tonye Cole, who told reporters this, said the thugs raided the party’s campaign site, fired indiscriminately and carried off the party leader.
Cole had called for a state of emergency to be declared in the state over the wave of political violence.
Also, the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Darlington Nwauju, described the incident as another barbaric assault on democracy.
Nwauju announced that security agents associated with the gubernatorial candidate, Cole, and the former Director General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, however, assisted in Mr. Brown’s rescue.
“This is another barbaric attack on our democracy. Parties must be able to campaign freely and voters must be able to vote for the candidates of their choice. That is what democracy is all about and not the other way around,” he said.
Cole condemned the attack on the planned location for the party’s rally in Opobo, pointing out that despite the shooting spreading to everyone, the party would revisit Opobo to hold its campaign.
He said, “This morning we were on our way to Opobo and they entered our assembly area, scattered everything and forcibly carried our local government coordinator. Shots were fired and they dispersed everyone.
“Everyone should be free to choose who they want to vote for. We will still be in Opobo. Nothing will stop us. But now we have to find the kidnapped, kidnapped chairman of the local government.’
Meanwhile, an online video shows uprooted canopies and scattered chairs in an open field, while the narrator claimed the crooks were led by the chairman of the Opobo local government, who is a member of the state’s ruling People’s Democratic Party.
In his remark, APC Governorship Campaign Council spokesman Sogbeye Eli called for the reshuffling of Police Commissioner Okon Effiong due to the wave of politically-related violence in the state.
Eli accused the CP of compromising in a statement Tuesday.
“The spate of attacks on the campaign trail of APC gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, today took a more dangerous turn in Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.
“Crooks blocked both ends of the only access road after Tonye Cole’s convoy arrived at King Jaja Square. Gunfire, accompanied by the dragging of bottles and other dangerous projectiles at party members gathered in the square, deterred the APC gubernatorial candidate from going to the location designated for the rally near St. Paul’s Church.
He added: “It is pertinent to note that a team of police officers led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police were on the ground operations at Opobo and witnessed the chaos.
“We argue that the campaign activities of Accord gubernatorial candidates Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and Social Democratic Party Senator Magnus Abe have been victims of similar unprovoked attacks on Etche, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt, Tai and Ahoada West LGAs in the past few days without any deterrent by state police command.
“In these circumstances, we call on both the Inspector General of Police and the National Security Adviser to fulfill their commitments at the start of the campaign season not to allow governors to violate the rights of other political parties involved in campaign activities ahead of the 2023 general election.”
“We argue that this is the only guarantee to restore sanity in states like Rivers, which have been made volatile by anti-democratic forces actively collaborating with compromised police commissioners.”
Attempts to reach state police spokesman Grace Iringe-Koko failed because her cell phone was turned off.
She had yet to respond to a text message sent to her at the time of filing this report, Tuesday evening.