Gov. Rotimi Amaechi
A mid-morning explosion rocked a section of the secretariat of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council in Rivers State Tuesday, sending jitters across the state as the crisis rocking the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepens. This came less than 24 hours after a Port Harcourt High Court ordered the police to unseal the premise of the secretariat.
The explosion at the secretariat of Obio/Akpor Council happened just as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Otelemaba Amachree, warned that the state was heading for anarchy.
His warning coincided with the threat by the federal government to drag the River State Government to the anti-corruption agencies over allegations that the state government forged documents that enabled its aircraft fly in the country.
THISDAY gathered that dynamite was thrown into a building housing the generating set that supplies electricity to the entire council, a development that ignited the fire, which razed the building.
Though fire fighters, who raced to the scene of the incident, tried to put out the fire, the damage to the building and the giant generating set could not be averted.
Speaking on the incident, Tuesday, the Chief of Staff to the state governor, Chief Tony Okocha, blamed the incident on sabotage.
Okocha said some names had already been mentioned as suspects to security operatives for further investigation.
He said: “It is just the power generator house that is in flames. From what I gathered, the fire was as a result of dynamite thrown inside the generator house.
“The police were ordered to vacate the council, but they should ensure that minimal security was put in place. From what I can see, the police all left the place.
“I have lost confidence in the police. It is unbelievable that this is happening because the battle appears to have shifted to government and the police. Some names of people who masterminded the attack on the council have already been mentioned.”
When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, confirmed the incident, stating that the police had vacated the council based on a court order.
Agabe explained that the state Police Command had posted some policemen to the place to forestall a recurrence of the incident.
“It is a generator house that was affected. They (court) said police should vacate the place. We have however posted two or three policemen to the council to forestall a recurrence of the fire incident,” the state police spokesperson said.
Warning of the anarchy looming over Rivers State, Amachree, in an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, said there had been a steady erosion of democratic institutions and security apparatus in the state since an Abuja High Court sacked the state executive of the PDP led by Chief Godspower Ake on April 15.
“It is important to note that since this development, Rivers State is witnessing, with unending shock and awe, the creeping fashion of daylight illegality and disorder,” he said in the letter dated May 11 but made available to THISDAY Tuesday.
The speaker alleged that there was a planned withdrawal of security personnel from top government functionaries in the state, adding that the aim was to cause a gradual collapse of security.
“We are alarmed and disturbed by the planned withdrawal of security personnel attached to various Rivers State Government establishments and officials, especially that of the Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, the Rivers State House of Assembly, the ministries and the local government councils.
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