Gunmen attack Rivers lawmaker’s residence

Gunmen attack Rivers lawmaker’s residence

•CP debunks attack, assassination claims

Some armed men suspected to be political thugs, accompanied by some police officers on Sunday night allegedly attacked the Port Harcourt residence of a Rivers State lawmaker, Edison Ehie.

Legislative correspondent, Rivers State House of Assembly, Ken Uchendu, in a statement, yesterday, described the attack as an assassination attempt on Ehie.

Although it could not be ascertained whether any damages or casualties were recorded during the incident, The Guardian  learnt that the attack was thwarted by the security details of the lawmaker.

Uchendu, accused some senior police officers in the state of leading the onslaught, adding that the incident which happened at about 11:00p.m. was captured on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.

He, however, called on President Bola Tinubu to hold the Rivers State Police Command responsible should there be a breakdown of law and order in the state.

“At about 11:00p.m. on Sunday November 19, a group of armed thugs and rogue police officers attached to the CTU B 3 RSV attacked the private residence of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly,  Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, The gunmen were fully armed to assassinate Mr. Speaker and his family.  

“However, the thugs and rogue police officers were repelled in a gun battle by the official security details attached to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie.”

“It is imperative to note that the armed rogues and officers were properly and fully captured by CCTV footage in the residence, which shall be made available to both national and International media outlets for the records.

“Let it be on record that Rivers people, boys, girls, women, men, including the aged shall in our numbers occupy the streets stark naked in a demonstration against the Nigerian Police and those sponsoring violence in Rivers State, no matter how highly placed, Rivers people will resist them.

“Finally, should there be a breakdown of law and order in Rivers State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should hold the above-named officers, the Rivers State Police Command and their sponsors in Rivers State responsible,” the statement added.

Reacting, the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, rejected the alleged attack and assassination attempt on Ehie, stressing that preliminary investigation revealed that police officers around the lawmaker’s house were on routine patrol.

The CP, however, called on anyone with complaints to reach out to the command, adding that so far, no formal complaint from the lawmaker had been received by the command.

“Preliminary investigation we have done so far, this morning has not revealed any assassination attempt.  “All I knew was that police officers were on patrol, a routine thing. We have made frantic efforts to meet the leader to give us any information he has so that we can include it in what we have. So far so good, nothing to worry about. 

“My plea to him and every other person is that if there are any complaints my phone number will be made public, they should call me quickly and I will quickly look into it. So for now I have not received any official complaint,” Disu added.