Armed men suspected to be political thugs on Friday attacked the convoy of the South-South leader of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Chibuike Amaechi, sparking a gun duel with security operatives along the Ubima–Omuanwa axis in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The incident occurred as Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, visited his hometown of Ubima to carry out his electronic registration as a member of the ADC.

Reports indicated that before the former governor arrived the community at about 12:15 p.m., suspected thugs had mounted a roadblock along the route, turning back buses identified as conveying ADC members who were heading to attend the visit.

The situation escalated when the armed men confronted Amaechi’s convoy as it attempted to enter the community.

Security operatives accompanying the former governor reportedly engaged the attackers in a gun duel, forcing them to retreat into nearby bushes after being overpowered by superior firepower.

The attack came barely hours after suspected thugs allegedly set ablaze the ward office of the ADC in Ubima on Thursday night.

The attackers were also said to have fired sporadically into the community and riddled the gate of Amaechi’s family house with bullets in an attempt to stop his planned visit.

Despite the tension, the former governor proceeded with his visit and completed his e-registration as a member of the party in the presence of hundreds of supporters who had gathered for the exercise.

After touring the burnt party office, Amaechi called for calm among party members and urged them not to resort to violence.

He commended the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for what he described as their swift response to the incident.

“I will thank the commissioner of police and the director of DSS. They showed a lot of professionalism immediately I made contact with them,” he said.

“In fact, I wasn’t expecting that kind of cooperation. I thought they would be behind these criminals and not render support. But all of us will agree that the police came out, the NSCDC came, DSS came out. So we are grateful to them.”

Amaechi, however, insisted that those responsible for the attacks must be prosecuted.

“But they must also know that this cannot continue. The way they will show us that this cannot continue is that they must prosecute those who are involved in this crime,” he added.

The former governor also urged the governor of the state to ensure adequate security across the state in order to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

He further called on ADC members in Rivers State to intensify mobilisation and register massively in the party, stressing that the party’s goal is to win the presidency.

“Our role is to be calm, to be peaceful. We are marching to Aso Rock. What they are doing is a distraction,” Amaechi said.
“We are hungry. If you are not hungry, tell them I am hungry. People are dropping dead every day because of hunger. And there are a few people who are stealing our money and they say we should keep quiet.

“ADC Rivers State, you must register en masse. You must make sure that we have enough members to surprise them. On election day, they will know whether we will vote or not.”