GUNMEN KILL ONE IN BUGUMA, SET CORPSE ABLAZE IN ALLEGED REPRISAL ATTACK

THERE has been a reprisal killing in Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. Community sources alleged that supporters of late Ofinijete Amachree, who was murdered on Tuesday, were behind the latest killing on Wednesday. They gave the name of the person killed as Baine, adding that his remains were also set ablaze at the sand field area of the community. “It was clearly a reprisal killing. The persons behind this did exactly what happened to the late All Progressives Congress, APC, member, late Amachree. They set his corpse on fire as well,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has alleged that the military invaded Abonnema community in Akuku Toru council and harassed members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the area. It has fired back at the acting National Chairman of APC, Mr Segun Oni, describing his allegations that Governor Nyesom Wike was behind recent acts of violence in the state as a ploy to flood the state with soldiers and use them to hijack ballot boxes in the March 19 re-run elections. The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Austin Tam-George, who made the allegation, Thursday, said that the military operation took place in the early hours of yesterday. He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the military to order, saying that they should stop the alleged politically motivated operations in the state. The spokesman, 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt Army Barracks, Captain Lazarus Eli, however, said that the military operation in the early hours of Thursday in Abonnema had nothing to do with politics. Also, APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Finebone, said that it would not play politics with the lives of the people of the state. Finebone said that his party has been at the receiving end of the violence that has lingered in the state for over six years, adding that supporters of APC were being butchered in the 23 LGAs of the state.

Meanwhile, Governor Wike has urged the people of the state to remain resolute in the protection of their votes during the forthcoming re-run legislative elections. Commissioning the Phase One of the reconstructed Nkpogu Bridge/Road and ground breaking for Phase 2, Governor Wike said that the people of Rivers State insist on free and fair elections despite the antics of the APC. He charged the people of the state to vote for PDP candidates during the re-run lelections for the sustenance of development in the state. Wike said: “There is no need to allow the APC to come back to the state. If you allow them to come back, they will scuttle development projects for our people. We are children of light. We are in the promise land and we cannot return to the days of darkness represented by the APC. We must protect our votes to reclaim our mandate. This is our opportunity to tell Nigerians once again that this is a PDP state”