The political crisis in Rivers State yesterday escalated with armed thugs attacking and setting fire to council secretariats in four local government areas (LGAs) of the state.
The attacks came just hours after police officers withdrew from the locations, following the swearing in of the newly elected local council chairmen in the state.
It was gathered that parts of Eleme, Obio Akpor, Ikwerre and Emuoha LGA secretariats were razed, with sporadic gunfire reported to have dispersed people, while several council buildings and vehicles were destroyed in the ensuing violence.
The attack is believed to be an offshoot of the feud between the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
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However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for restraint from all parties involved in the Rivers crisis.
Expressing concern over the reports of arson and violence, Tinubu directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to restore peace and provide security to the local government councils across the state.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged those dissatisfied with the election process to approach the courts, emphasising that violence had no place in a democracy.
He instructed law enforcement agencies to secure public institutions and ensure that government facilities were protected from vandalism.
“The judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of this election should be no exception,” Tinubu said, stressing the importance of maintaining peace and order after 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
The IGP had earlier ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from the 23 LGAs of the state. The police had been stationed there since June, following a dispute between the state governor’s caretaker committees and former council chairmen over tenure extension.
Rivers State police spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, had relayed the IGP’s directive for the withdrawal of all officers guarding the council secretariats.
The move was described as an effort to maintain police neutrality and ensure the smooth operation of democratic institutions.
However, shortly after the police vacated the premises, political tension escalated. Thugs armed with explosives, reportedly dynamite, set parts of the Eleme council secretariat ablaze, smashing windows and causing extensive damage.
A witness from Eleme, speaking anonymously, said the attack occurred just hours after the police withdrawal, with the thugs setting off explosives that destroyed the old secretariat building.
In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, protesters stormed the council headquarters in Omoku, temporarily preventing the newly sworn-in chairman from assuming office.
In Ikwerre LGA, parts of the council secretariat were also set on fire, and gunfire was heard as attackers sought to scare off the public.
Similar scenario unfolded in Obio Akpor and Emuoha LGAs, where thugs fired shots to disrupt gatherings for the swearing-in of elected councillors, damaging parts of the council buildings in the process.
Governor Fubara had, during the swearing-in of the 23 newly elected local government chairmen, raised concerns about plots to attack the council officials.
He urged the chairmen to avoid confrontation, saying: “If they come with violence, avoid them. The peace of this state is too important to us… At the right time, you will always win if you are patient and calculative.”
Meanwhile, residents of Port Harcourt, Eleme and Obio Akpor have condemned the attacks, calling them barbaric and urging the police to take action.
One resident, Gift Ihuwo, described the attacks as criminal, while Obari Jonah from Eleme labelled them “a political vendetta taken too far.”
Jonah added that those aggrieved by the political process should seek legal remedies rather than resorting to violence.
The Rivers State Police Command has yet to issue a statement on the incidents as at the time of filing this report.
My meekness not weakness, Fubara warns
Speaking on Channels TV yesterday, Governor Fubara said he was disappointed with the level of mayhem unleashed on the state by those he described as miscreants working to derail the progress being made. He warned that while he is always trying to pursue the path of peace, his meekness should not be interpreted as weakness.
He said the police moving out of the secretariats paved the opportunity for the miscreants to carry out their dastardly acts. He said in view of that he supports the return of the police but that they should allow the elected council chairmen to do their work.
Reacting to the president’s intervention, Fubara said he was concerned that only his name was mentioned in the president’s statement, “but since it’s coming from the president, I have no comment about it.”
Call Wike to order, Bode George writes Tinubu
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has weighed in on the political crisis between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, which snowballed into the arson and violence yesterday in the state.
In an open letter to President Tinubu, George urged him to call Wike to order, and allow Governor Fubara to focus on governance.
George commended the conduct of the local government elections, stating that the people of Rivers had exercised their civic rights.
He added that Wike should step back and let Fubara deliver the dividends of democracy. George warned that the ongoing political feud in Rivers could escalate into a major crisis, drawing parallels to the political turmoil in the defunct Western Region from 1962 to 1966, which he said contributed to Nigeria’s first military coup.
He further cautioned that unresolved tensions could destabilise the region, recalling how the political crisis of the 1960s eventually led to the civil war, which claimed millions of lives.
“If this democracy is truncated, Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief, will be the biggest loser,” George added, urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Fubara was unfair to us – Police
Meanwhile, IGP Egbetokun has dismissed Governor Fubara’s criticism of the police over its role in the Rivers State local government elections as unnecessary.
Fubara had accused Egbetokun of siding with certain politicians and withdrawing police security for the elections. He warned that the IGP would be held accountable if law and order broke down in the state.
In response, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement yesterday, explained that the police acted in accordance with court rulings. He said the Federal High Court had issued an injunction in July 2024, barring police involvement in the elections, while a counter-order from the Rivers State High Court directed the police to provide security. He added that, the Federal High Court, however, nullified all activities surrounding the election in September and instructed the police to withdraw.
The police spokesman said Egbetokun, acting on legal advice, ordered the police to follow the Federal High Court’s ruling and informed the governor accordingly.
He described Fubara’s accusations as baseless and an unfair attack on the police.
From Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt), Baba Martins (Abuja) & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos)
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