Maimed INEC official; Police arrest 3 PDP Chieftains, 63 suspected political thugs
The Rivers state Chapter of the Nigerian Police on Saturday, arrested Some armed youths and political thugs following the legislative re-run held in Rivers at the weekend.
Those arrested are suspected to be on the pay roll of some politicians in the state, who, chopped off the hand of a yet-to-be identified official of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, during the supplementary federal and state legislative elections in Etche/Omuma constituencies in Rivers state.
The victim, according to an eye witness in Igbo-Etche community, Etche, was said to be bleeding profusely, and was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Port Harcourt for treatment.
On Saturday too, the Publicity Secretary of the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Samuel Nwonosike, was arrested by a combined team of soldiers, Police and personnel of the Department of State Security, DSS, at Ulakwo 11, at Etche Local Government Area, where the third legislative re-run was being conducted. He was arrested at about 11.30am.
Also arrested were two former Caretaker Committee Chairmen for Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Mr. Odiari Princewill, and Mr. Rowland Seikibo, former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Akoku-Toru Local Government Area.
The PDP chieftains were arrested along with 62 suspected political thugs who security operatives claimed were hired to disrupt the orderliness of the conclusive legislative elections. The thugs were caught with dangerous weapons including machetes, grenades and bottles. Also found with the political thugs were drugs such as Codeine and Tramodol which are banned from the open market.
A security officer disclosed that the political thugs were arrested as they emerged from bushes close to some polling units in Ulakwo 11. An army officer said the thugs might have entered the community on the night of Friday, February 25, the eve of the election to beat the 12 midnight curfew imposed by the police to check suspicious movements.
Security personnel said the political thugs had entered the community in four vehicles: two buses and two mazda salon cars. One of the Madza cars (light blue) has the following registration number, Rivers, SHS 624 MS; the other Mazda salon car (grey colour) bore the registration number, Rivers, ABU 611, GV.
One of the buses, a white Toyota Hiace, with the inscription, Bayelsa State Mass Transit, bore the registration number, Rivers, BGM 308 SZ; the second bus, a light green Toyota Hiace, had the registration number,GGU 16 YA, bore the inscription: Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.
Mr. Nwonosike, who had recently served for three terms as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, was arrested in a maroon Nissan SUV with registration number, Lagos, LSR 632 BW.
While the 62 suspected political thugs sat on the ground on the left side of the entrance into the Seventh-Dat Adventist Church, Ulakwo Distrcict , Nwonosike, Princewill and Seikebo, sat at the sentry post of the under the watchful eyes of eight armed soldiers.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Rivers State who spoke to journalists, at 12.58pm, regretted that “some politicians still see election as war in Nigeria”. He said he had received reports of ballot snatching in some polling units, adding, “all electoral infractions will be thoroughly investigated and if ballot snatching is confirmed then the results of such units will be cancelled.”
The Acting Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Mogaji, who confirmed the arrest of the PDP chieftains and the political thugs said an intensive investigation was being carried out to ascertain the extent of culpability of all those arrested. A police source said the army would hand over those that were arrested through an administrative procedure in a matter of days.
The suspects were asked to climb into a military truck at 1.38pm. At 1.40pm, when Nwonosike, Princewill and Seikibo, were asked to enter an Army Toyota Hilux operation vehicle, Nwonosike exploded: “I am the publicity secretary of the PDP in Rivers State and INEC has said we can monitor our election. If they want to arrest me, let us finish the election first.
“If they want to kill me, I want the world to know that I have not committed any crime. I have done nothing wrong. I am here to monitor elections on behalf of my party.”
Apart from the arrest of the party chieftains and political thugs, the election went on fairly peacefully. Accreditation and voting commenced in most wards and units at about 8.30am. Most polling units began collating their results at about 2.00pm.
