Gunmen on Friday attacked the convoy of former governor and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and torched the ward office of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, authorities and witnesses said.
Amaechi, who was in the community to complete an e-registration as a member of the ADC, arrived at about 12:15pm to find a roadblock mounted by suspected thugs between Ubima and Omuanwa that had earlier turned back buses carrying party members. The assailants, said to have invaded the community with heavy firepower, shot sporadically and riddled the gate of Amaechi’s family home with bullets.
Party supporters reported that the ADC ward office in Ubima was set ablaze on Thursday night. When Amaechi’s convoy was later stopped, security operatives travelling with him engaged the attackers. The assailants fled into the bush after encountering superior firepower from the security personnel, witnesses said.
Addressing hundreds of party members after touring the burnt office, Amaechi thanked security agencies for their prompt response, singling out the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). “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.
Amaechi urged calm among party members and appealed to security agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible. He also called on the state governor to improve security across Rivers to forestall further violence and encouraged ADC members to intensify mobilisation, saying the party’s “ultimate target was the presidency.”
Rivers State Police Command spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko said she would obtain details of the incident and revert to reporters; she had not done so by the time of filing.
No official casualty figures were provided in initial reports. Investigation into the attack is ongoing.
