Police have restricted access to the secretariat of the Action People’s Party (APP) in Rivers State, at Tombia Extension, GRA, Port Harcourt, after suspected thugs attacked it with explosives.
The yet to be identified assailants, detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at the secretariat on Sunday night, destroying several valuables worth millions of naira.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, who visited the scene in the early hours of Monday for an on the spot assessment, said preliminary investigation had been launched and he was awaiting a detailed report from his team on the ground.
He said, “I heard about this yesterday and we deployed our team to come here and take charge of the area. The bomb squad had been sent here and I am waiting for their report any moment from now.
“So for now, I will not go deep in that until I get my full report.”
The CP, however, urged residents of the state to be security conscious at all times.
“Everyone should be concerned about their safety and security.
“I don’t want to go deep down into some things I don’t want to mention now, but most importantly, everybody has to take their security very seriously.
“We deployed our officers here yesterday because anywhere there is explosion, there is likely to be a second one, so usually we move people away from the area and that is what my team succeeded in doing yesterday,” he added.
Responding, the spokesperson of opposition coalition and federal lawmaker representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, accused the group supporting FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to be the brain behind the attack.
He said the National Chairman of the APP, Uchenna Nnadi, narrowly escaped death in the attack, as the explosion happened shortly after he concluded a crucial meeting with party men and women at the secretariat.
Ugochinyere in a statement signed on Monday, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct security agencies to fish out and prosecute the bombers before they bring down democracy.
The lawmaker said, “Monday, around 2a.m I received a call from the National Chairman of one of our country’s rising opposition parties, APP, Action People’s Party, who told me that he had just narrowly escaped death with the bombing of their new state party HQ in Rivers State. Mr. President, they will bomb down this democracy. Stop these men now before it’s too late.
“Political extremists and terrorists who are desperate to make Rivers State ungovernable bombed the party headquarters, which was just renovated ahead of the Rivers LGA election, in which the APP is tipped to win by a landslide as the party of popular choice in Rivers State. As the spokesperson of the Opposition Coalition CUPP/all elected officers both in parliament and executive nationwide whose parties belong to the CUPP Alliance, I want to categorically state that the bombing of opposition parties and their offices is now an extremely low level of madness that has been fueled by those who claim to be working for ruling government.
“This is the 3rd time bombings have allegedly been introduced by these Abuja elements who want to make Rivers ungovernable, and this time, Mr. President, you have to take a hard decision, as silence will mean that their devilish action is acceptable.”
Speaking further, he said, “Let the security agencies immediately fish out the perpetrators of these dastardly acts, which are acts of national terrorism capable of bombing our democracy if not checked. Act now, Mr. President, as the history of your action or inaction will be recorded for you, and this growing criminal terrorism action can spiral into other hands and cause bigger harm to our democracy.