File: Political thugs clash at a rally.
Suspected political thugs disrupted the All Progressives Congress rally in the Umunachi community in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday morning.
The situation caused panic in the community, with some natives scampering for safety, but the rally was eventually held after the party paid a courtesy call on Omuma’s monarch at his palace.
Speaking on the incident, the APC chairman in Omuma LGA, Onyekachi Ojiegbe said the attack was to scare away APC members from campaigning.
He stated, “What happened here today was an eyesore. Since last night, we have been guarding the equipment with some security agencies that came with us.
“However, around 5.25am, a group of people drove in three Hilux and two Government House police regalia.
“They shot sporadically in the air to disperse our supporters and carted away two generators, vandalised my car beyond repair, and also vandalised the tactical team vehicle of the Area Command, Oyigbo.
“On asking the police why they didn’t react, most of them told me that those were their colleagues. They suspect that they came from Government House. That’s why they could not shoot at them.”
The spokesperson for the APC Campaign Council in the state, Sogbeye Eli, in a statement on Monday, confirmed the attack.
Eli called on the state police commissioner, Okon Effiong, to immediately order an investigation and ensure that those behind the attack were arrested and prosecuted.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party denied any involvement in the attack and faulted the accusation that policemen attached to the government house were among the assailants.
The Director, Directorate of Publicity and Communications, Rivers State PDP Campaign Council, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, this in a statement, described the allegation as “propaganda.”
