Barely 48 hours after a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local government area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, Franklin Obi, was killed alongside his wife and son, the party has again raised the alarm over the death of two of its members.
The party, in a statement issued on Monday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Finebone, said two of its members were killed yesterday, one each in Buguma and Opobo.
The statement said, “Today Monday 7th March in Buguma, Asari-Toru LGA of Rivers State, PDP thugs working for the illegal Asari-Toru CTC, Sobomabo Jackrich, went on rampage and in the process killed and burnt Mr. Ofinjite Amachree, an APC Chieftain in Asari-Toru LGA. He was attacked by known PDP thugs, beaten to coma before they set him ablaze.
“The APC wishes to also announce that same Monday, an APC member by name Tubotamuno Wariso was also attacked and beaten to death at Opobo Town, Opobo/Nkoro LGA by known PDP/Icelander cult boys.”
The party alleged that the killings were part of the scare tactics of the PDP ahead of the re-run elections in the state.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Felix Obuah, has condemned the spate of killings in the state, especially in his home local government area, ONELGA.
He said he was “shocked and saddened by the reckless killings in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State” which continued over the weekend.
Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, Obuah described the resurgence of killings among his kinsmen as abominable and sheer madness.
He wondered why all the entreaties by the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to all the warring youths in Omoku during his visit to the area a few weeks ago could be so flagrantly violated as though they gain anything from killing one another.
Describing the weekend onslaught as one too many, he urged the police to beef up security around the area and all parts of the State and further urged them to fish out perpetrators of the heinous acts and bring them to book.
While sympathising with victims of the attack, Obuah advised the police to step up their intelligence gathering in order to prevent further attacks and killings of Rivers people.
“My heart goes out to those that lost their lives and loved ones in this tragic event,” Obuah said.
Obuah further urged politicians to join hands with Wike to keep the State peaceful and secure from the hands of criminals, rather than trading blames and politicking with insecurity of any kind in the State.
He regretted that rather than join in the fight against criminality and insecurity in the State, some politicians, particularly, chieftains of the APC had used it to play politics.
Obuah reiterated his crusade for a free and peaceful State devoid of crimes, stressing that he cannot be part of anything that would take someone’s life.
He assured that the PDP would continue to preach against violence and criminality in the State, and would not support evil in whatever guise.
He recalled that a number of people lost their lives during the weekend attack including one Isaac Ikechukwu Chinedu, PDP Chairman in Obite; Chinedu Saidey, Ward 9 PDP Assistant Secretary from Oboburu Community; Franklyn Nkukuru Obi, APC Ward 4 chairman, his wife and son.
-thisdaylive