Exactly 11 days to the General Elections in February 26th, 2023 countless attacks on Politicians have become the order of the day.
Checks on several attacks just within last week and this week, the convoy of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) was ambushed and two police officers were killed around 1.30 p.m. last week Friday on Ihiala-Orlu Road enroute Umuahia, while on official duty. The names of the slain officers are Inspectors Lucky Aleh, Celestine Nwadiokwu and Jude Obuh, who were attached to the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit in Government House, Asaba.
The Commissioner of Information of the state, Mr Aniagwu had described the killing of the officers as barbaric and unacceptable in a country seeking to be united again for peace and development. The officers met their untimely death while they were proceeding as an advanced team for the PDP National Campaign Rally in Abia.
Another alarming attack was that of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi yesterday at the party members by hoodlums in Lagos. The attackers destroyed several buses and other vehicles leaving many wounded and property worth millions of Naira destroyed.
Obi said at the attack was troubling, urging the Police to fish out those responsible.
“I received reports that four members of the Obidient Family were attacked and injured in Lagos ahead of today’s rally. That incident, premeditated or not, is deeply troubling. Such act stands vehemently condemned. We cannot continue to tolerate attacks on members of the political opposition, often fuelled by the incendiary rhetorics of political leaders. The new Nigeria that we seek is one founded on peace and justice, and the respect for the rule of law. I call on the Lagos State security agencies to fish out those responsible for the attacks.”
Similarly, last week Thursday, gunmen attacked the residence of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Lee Maeba. About five cars in the residence were vandalised during the attack by the hoodlums. Maeba, an ally of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, confirmed the attack during a visit to his residence by Channels Television. The PDP presidential campaign chairman, who came into Port Harcourt on Thursday morning, said neighbours observed strange movements around his residence. He said a young man called him to warn him about the planned attack. Maeba said his house was attacked shortly after he went out to visit his mother-in-law. Security agencies must be discreet and thorough in investigating all incidents
Though the Rivers State Government has seen isolated reports suggesting that some persons are purportedly being physically molested for political reasons. Security agencies must exercise the highest level of diligence, discreetness and carefulness in their work to sift the wheat from the chaff in order to arrive at a credible conclusion. It is not strange to find politicians staging high level melodrama to either cover up their tracks or muddle up the waters to achieve a preconceived narrative aimed at hoodwinking the public for political reasons especially at a time like this.
Unfortunately, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State was attacked in the early ours of Friday when he went to supervise the proposed venue for the PDP presidential campaign in the state scheduled for Saturday.
The chieftain alleged that the assassination attempt on him in the early hours of Friday was made by security agents attached to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.
Rivers state woke up Friday to the report of a failed assassination bid on the one-time Minister of Transport, with the report saying that gunmen dressed in police uniform had opened fire on Sekibo’s vehicle, a Land Cruiser bulletproof jeep at the Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt, where he went to inspect the venue of a proposed presidential rally of the party.
In a press briefing later on, Friday Sekibo confirmed the incident saying that his car was riddled with bullets and the venue of the proposed rally set on fire, while policemen just stood and watched. “As we approached the site, those policemen who were watching the inferno opened fire on our vehicle. I looked at the Hilux vehicles, they were police Hilux vehicles attached to the Governor of Rivers State.”
His words: “At about 11:30 pm to 12:00 midnight, I received a call and the caller said the equipment at the sight that was being prepared for the PDP presidential rally is on fire. I told myself that it is not possible but I said okay, let me go and see for myself. So, I asked my driver to bring out the car and took three policemen. Let’s go and see what is happening. The location is Rainbow Town by Amadi-Ama. As we approached the site, we saw a lineup of Police Hilux vehicles on the right side of the road and the Policemen were looking at the fire. So, as we approach them, I was about to tell my driver to stop so that I can talk to the policemen.
“The next thing, those policemen who are watching the fire opened fire on my vehicle. So I told my driver not to stop, but to keep on going. We drove off and were shot from all sides. I looked at those vehicles, they were Hilux vehicles attached to the Governor of Rivers State. They shot one of our tyres and as we were going, the driver was finding it difficult to control the vehicle. When we got to Oando Filling Station at Trans-Amadi, I told the driver to clear by the filling station. And these Police Hilux vehicles, five in number, drove past us heading towards Ada-George.”
He wondered whether that is what Rivers state has been reduced to as he alleged, “So, this governor who said he is giving us a place to use cannot stand us preparing another site for a rally that he doesn’t want to hold? He sent policemen attached to him to go and destroy equipment that are clearing the place. As I speak to you now, he has barricaded the place with Government House Police, to make sure that pressmen don’t gain access to the site. The DG, of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Rivers state pleaded with the Inspector General of Police to call the police attached to Governor Wike to order. They want to reduce this state to a state of anarchy.
“I call on the President of this country, Muhammadu Buhari, to please, call the Governor of Rivers state to order. He cannot cow us; we will continue to declare our stand as supporters of Atiku Abubakar in this state. Rivers people stand for Atiku Abubakar and we will support him.”
Gunmen had few weeks ago bombed the convoy of a former Governor of Imo State Ikedi Ohakim. The incident happened in Oriagu, a community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Ohakim escaped the attack, but four police officers attached to his convoy were killed by the gunmen.
The hoodlums razed one of the convoy vehicles when they were unable to capture the former governor. He was said to be returning from a visit alongside two of his children, when the gunmen attacked him.
The level of politically motivated attacks on Politicians across the country is a serious concern. If security agencies do not take proactive steps to curb the situation before the general elections, it will be difficult to conduct a peaceful polls.
The Federal Government must wake up and stand to the insecurity challenges before it’s late. The several attacks without arrest of the culprits is tantamount to spelling doom during the elections.