Who Is After Wike’s Life?

By Stephen Ubanna

Security appears to have been tightened up around Nyensom Wike, governor of Rivers state , who is seeking re-election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. This is because of the alleged attempt on his life on Thursday, February, 21, barely two days to the Presidential election.  

Wike has repeatedly raised alarm over the security situation in the state that he was forced to speak that that people should not trust Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, the acting Inspector General of police. IGP over the forthcoming elections. He fears that the security agencies will work with ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, to intimidate the opposition parties. Rotimi Amaechi , a former governor of Rivers state and minister of Transportation , may not have helped matters when he threatened fire and brimestone during President Muhammadu Buhari, electioneering Campaign in the state, if the APC,  governorship Candidate, Tonye Cole, and Candidates of the party , were included on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, list to contest the election.

Mohammed Abubakar Adamu: Acting Inspector General Of Police

The Rivers state governor may have turned it into laughing matter as he repeatedly mocked Amaechi and the APC leadership in the state to put their house in order insisting that the party would never have Candidates to contest this Saturday, February 23, 2019 , National Assembly election or the governorship and State Assembly elections on May 9, 2019.

Adamu, the acting IGP, may have perceived danger ahead of the election in the state that he quickly deployed Austin Braimoh, a Commissioner of police, CP, to oversee the security situation in the south-south geo-polical region which includes Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross river, Delta, Edo and Rivers.  Braimoh was said to have held a closed door meeting with Wike, at the Brick House, popular, government House, where he was said to have assured  him that he has no cause to worry about the safety of lives and property in the state during this election period as the police were in full control.

 Given the assurance,  Wike may have relaxed.  Unknown to him, he was still a target of hired assassins because of his political standing in the state. Given an insider information about the recent attempt on his life,  the governor had  said that he problem started after a meeting  with officials  of the British High Commission in the government House . According to him, he had taken time out  at the end of the closed door meeting to  see some PDP leaders in the state for discussion over the  forthcoming election but  was trailed by soldiers  from the 6 Division  of the Nigeria Army.     

He disclosed that he would have been killed if he had continued his movement along  the Abacha road, one of the most popular roads in Port Harcourt , named after late General Sani Abacha, a former Head of State, he may have been killed but was forced to divert his movement to Louis Street to forestal any possible attack. An aggrieved Wike, said , he knew that his life was in danger when his security details raised alarm: What is going on, what is going on, soldiers are behind us?

He noted that the soldiers have no reason to follow him  because he had never  gone out  with any soldier ”since he because the governor of the state on May29, 2015.  ”I have  never  gone out with  any soldier  but the soldiers were following me”, he said. He queried the rationale for the soldiers trailing him if not for sinister motive.  Many believe that if they had succeeded  in killing him, it would have provided an opportunity for those championing the cause that APC  Candidates  including Cole, the APC governorship to have their way .  

Appealing to the Army  to” refrain  from being overzealous and not being partisan”’ , Wike  warned that such an ”action is capable  of jeopardising foreign  the nation’s quest for foreign investment”, insisting  that Rivers state is so important  as the revenue base of the nation to be thrown into confusion during this election period.

Not many people were surprised at the planned attack on the south-south notable governor by the unknown soldiers . Perhaps, the people may have been worried over the closed door meeting between him and  the British government  Election Observers  in the state. This may have been done to create fear in the mind of the foreign Observers not to t o do their as it ought to be done for fear of their safety. The British government  had deployed  60 Observers in 15 states  across the country to monitor the elections including Rivers an Delta states.

In a related development, the Delta state police Command  said on Thursday   confirmed the interception of  an unregistered  white Toyota Hilux van bearing items suspected to be explosives. Chuks Oritsewezie, an Assistant Superintendent  and the police Command Spokes person,, said  the suspected vehicle was intercepted  by the Command   team while on a routine stop and search  operation along the Ughelli  – Patani road.  

He disclosed that the driver of the vehicle  had refused to stop when he was flagged down, forcing the police team to give it a hot chase  and caught up with it.  The two occupants of the vehicles may have known that the game was up as they abruptly stopped and escaped to a nearby bush. that much was said by Oritsewezie. Items that were said to have been recovered from the vehicle  include 128 pieces of 60mm.156 Kg emulsion chemical substances and five pieces  of electric detonators. The explosives were said to have been concealed in several bagco bags.

Adeynka Adeleke, the Delta state , CP, who could not hide his feelings over the interception of the vehicle because of the damage could have caused during the election ,  was said to have handed it over  to the Force Bomb Disposal Unit , which had confirmed the items as such. The CP  said there is no need for Deltans or foreign Observers to worry as the situation is under control.

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