APC asks Buhari, security agents to stop Rivers killings

The All Progressives Congress (APC) of Rivers State yesterday urged the Presidency, Minister of Interior, Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police to take urgent steps to stem the unrestrained killings in four councils of the state.

The affected councils, according to the party, are: Ogba/Ndoni/Egbema (ONELGA) Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Abua/Odual Local Governments of Rivers State.

APC Chairman in Rivers State, Davis Ikanya, said yesterday in Port Harcourt that after diligent investigations, the party has uncovered that last weekend’s killing in Omoku, the headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Council [ONELGA] was targeted at its members, while the police woefully failed to provide security for the people of the area.

“Last Friday night, suspected members of the Icelanders cult group invaded Omoku and its environs where they picked on selected houses of APC members and allegedly murdered some of the occupants. By the last count, 26 persons were shot dead and some beheaded,” Ikanya alleged.

He added that eyewitness accounts revealed that the attack lasted from early evening up till 10p.m and despite calls to the police for help, there was no response until the killers finished their dastardly mission and left with some of the heads of those they killed.

“The APC notes that a few hours later, the Rivers State Police Command came out with a statement blaming the killings on a fight between rival cult groups. This is the most bizarre statement to come out of the Police because they have not, to this moment, named the suspected cult groups,” APC said.

Ikanya added, “We make bold to ask the Police: what are the names of the suspected cult groups and their kingpins? How did the police arrive at their conclusion? Why was the police unable to respond to SOS calls by victims and neighbours for the over five (5) hours the killings took place on different streets of Omoku,” he posed the questions to the police.

He added that following security operations carried out by the military on January 11 of this year at the house of one Igwe Ejima Dibia alias Don Wannie of Aligu village in ONELGA, members of Icelander cult group and their collaborators allegedly held a meeting at about 2300hrs at Obohia in Omoku and concluded that prominent members of the APC will be eliminated irrespective of whether they live in ONELGA, Port Harcourt or other locations in the state as long as they are of ONELGA origin.

According to him, they maintained that it is the prominent leaders of APC of the council that masterminded the raid by the military and the alleged destruction of Don Wannie’s house.