Senator Magnus Abe on hospital bed yesterday.
Senator Magnus Abe, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Tony Okocha, have been shot by the police during a political rally by members of All Progressive Party(APC) in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Several persons were wounded and taken to local hospitals for treatment.The Press Secretary to Sen. Abe, Mr. Honour Sirawoo, said it was a rubber bullet that hit the Senator on the chest and caused him severe pain and discomfort.
He said Abe had gone to supervise the preparations for the rally when the incident occurred at about 9.00 am on Sunday.
Dr Mckay Anyanwu, the Medical Director of Krisany Hospital, where Abe was taken for treatment, told newsmen that the Senator was brought to the hospital in a state of shock caused by low blood pressure.
He said, “He was unable to talk or eat, and he was feeling restless as a result of traumatic shock.
“The implication is that there is hemorrhage; this is a blood trauma…’’
The main opposition party in Nigeria, All Progressive Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter alleged that the police killed 5 children “of Rivers State extraction” during the bid to stop the rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement at the College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt.
In a statement by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, SSA Media and Public Affairs to the Interim State Chairman, APC Rivers State, it was “shocked and shattered by the news.”
The statement said, “The Interim State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, did not at first believe the news until he verified it because he, like any other right-thinking individual, could not understand why policemen paid with taxpayers’ money could turn their guns against the people, including prominent citizens who are well known to them – thus ruling out the possibility of a mistake in the said shooting.
We wish to unequivocally condemn this premeditated murder of our five children and attempted murder of two prominent and innocent Rivers citizens by the State Police Command, which seems happy to transform into an army of occupation instead of discharging its constitutional role of safeguarding lives and property. This is a declaration of war on Rivers State and its people.
We are holding the State Police Commissioner, CP Joseph Mbu, responsible for the deaths of five innocent kids that maybe our future political leaders by this agents of darkness and the attempted murder on Senator Abe and Chief Okocha since the shooting was carried out by a team of regular police and Mobile policemen from MOPOL 19 on the orders of CP Mbu. Acting on CP Mbu’s orders, the trigger-happy policemen had stormed the APC rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement at the College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, and started shooting rubber bullets and teargas canisters to disperse the crowd. One of the rubber bullets hit Senator Abe, who fell to the ground and would have died instantly if his aides had not quickly grabbed him and rushed him to a hospital in D/Line in Port Harcourt. It is reported that the case of the Senator is very critical and arrangement is being made by Governor Amaechi to fly him out for medical attention if he recovers from coma. Chief Okocha’s case is a bit better as he was only shot on his legs and may be crippled for life if urgent attention is not given to him".
The police ordered everybody to vacate the venue. Several persons were injured as they scampered for safety. The police insisted that the rally must not hold, claiming that it would constitute a breach of the peace – a very spurious claim. And we are talking of a rally aimed at mobilising the public on the agenda of a political Movement, of which the police was duly informed!
We have shouted ourselves hoarse that CP Mbu is on a mission to cause mayhem and insecurity in Rivers State but, sadly, the powers that brought him to Rivers State for this mission not only continued to sustain him but also continued to empower him in his acts of impunity in Rivers State. This single man has on various occasions abused, insulted and vilified our elected State Governor in the person of Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, claiming that he (Mbu) is the Chief Security Officer of Rivers State and not the Governor as stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic!
This single man has on various occasions given police cover to GDI, the political pressure group of President Goodluck Jonathan and Supervising Minister for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, while denying the same services to other political groups in Rivers State, including Save Rivers State Movement while we sustain the Police with Rivers State fund. This single man since he came to Rivers State has promoted criminality in various ways and has even made himself a member of PDP, attending their meetings!
The National Assembly has found this man guilty and asked for his redeployment to no avail! The Rivers State Government and various pressure groups have called for his redeployment to no avail, all because the Federal Government is bent on using him to cause a war in Rivers State!
In view of the foregoing, we wish to make it clear that the blood of the five innocent kids that were slaughtered by the Police are on CP Mbu’s head and also on the heads of his sponsors. We meanwhile appeal to Nigerians to join us in praying for the survival of Senator Abe and Chief Okocha. By God’s grace, we shall overcome as the plot of intimidation will not deter us from salvaging Rivers State from the PDP led Federal Government whose hatred and disdain on our people are now legendary.
Finally, Dr Ikanya demands for the immediate release of Hon. Ike Chinwo within 24 hours unfailingly. Hon Chinwo who was once a member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Obio-Akpor Federal Constituency was arrested by the Police after the mayhem for no just cause.
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