Cult members attack Wike’s SA on amnesty

The Special Adviser on Amnesty to Govervor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Hon Ken Chinda was over the weekend attacked by unknown cult members, damaging the front and back windscreens as well as injuring two occupants in his vehicle.

The incident occurred Saturday at Isiodu Town in Emohua Local Government Area of the state and hometown of Wike’s Chief of Staff, Engr Emeka Woke, shortly after the flag off ceremony for the construction of Isiodu – Isiokpo Road project.

Eye witnesses informed our correspondent that trouble started when one cult member, few minutes to the arrival of the governor for the event and during the gyrations to welcome His Excellency removed the fez cap of a rival cult group in the area which degenerated into a little fracas among themselves.

It took the intervention of a visibly angry Chief of Staff to quell the fracas and everyone thought it was all over. However, members of the cult group whose member’s fez cap was removed from his head were said to have retreated and regrouped where they decided that the culprit must die.

According to the witnesses, their decision filtered into the ears of the Special Adviser who decided to whisk the culprit away in his car.

Unfortunately, however, luck ran out on the culprit when members of the rival cult group took advantage of the long queue of vehicles along the Isiodu road, created by the departure of the governor from venue of the event to fish him out in the Special Adviser’s vehicle.

They were said to have smashed both the front and back windscreens of the SA’s vehicle with heavy stones in a bid to actualize their devilish decision, wounding the culprit and another occupant of the vehicle, whose identities could not be immediately ascertained.

It took the quick and timely intervention of men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) stationed for the ceremony who fired warning shot into the air to scare them away and avert an imminent cult clash in the town. Head of the JTF team declined comments.

When contacted at residence of the Chief of Staff, venue of a reception for the governor, the Special Adviser, Hon Ken Chinda refused to speak on the matter but rather referred newsmen to the Chief of Staff.

Engr Emeka Woke, the Chief of Staff also refused to talk to newsmen on both the incident and the flag off event. When contacted via one of his PAs, he retorted, “they can write whatever they like.”

The state Police Command Spokesman, DSP Omoni Nnamdi could not be contacted as at the time of filing this report.

Also speaking to the Daily Times on the sidelines of the event were Dr. Sam Aleruchi Egbusim, a PDP stakeholder in ward ten, Umudioga in the LGA, Hon Emmanuel Atuchi Wobo, chairman of Emohua Task Force on Revenue Mobilization and the Emohua PDP elders council and a member of Isiodu community as well as Comrade Wobo Isaac Lawrence, chairman of Isiodu Youths for Emeka Woke, all commended the governor for the flag off of the road project which they observed would greatly impact on the economic activities in the area.

Dr Sam Aleruchi Egbusim, who is also a chairmanship aspirant in the yet to be announced forthcoming LGA election in the state reiterated the fact that it was now the turn of Umudioga clan to produce the next chairman of the LGA.