20th March, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
At least two chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC) were today shot by unknown gunmen and many others injured at Eleparawon, Obio-Akpor local Government area of Rivers state, the home of Nyesom Wike, PDP, governorship candidate disrupting the ward-to-ward campaign APC.
It is was gathered that the APC ward chairman, Mr Tasie Wike, was among those injured and rushed to hospital.
Confirming the incident Solomon Ikeguru, the APC chairman in Obio-Akpor said that Dakuku Peterside, the APC Governorship candidate was suppose to in the area in continuation of his ward-to-ward campaign at Eleparawon when suddenly they saw gunmen shooting sporadically and other attackers armed with machetes, guns and other lethal weapons suspected to be party thugs advancing menacingly towards APC members they had to run for their dear lives.
On the number of those injured, Ikeguru said: “We cannot ascertain because when gunmen started shooting sporadically and they were advancing we started running to different directions and was pandemonium.”
Ahmad Muhammad PPRO to the Rivers Police command could not confirm the incident.
It is significant to note that the alleged shooting and disruption of APC rally today is happening less than 24 hours after thousands of APC members and their Caretaker Committee chairmen from the 23 local government staged peaceful protest to the Police headquarters and Department of Security Services over insecurity of the lives of APC members to freely associate in the state.
Meanwhile, the Dr. Sampson Parker, Commissioner for Health has raised alarm at the rising number of patients with gunshot and machete wounds being reported at the various government hospitals in the state arising from politically motivated attacks the state.
In a press briefing, Dr Parker said that available records showed that cases of patients with gunshot wounds, and other related injuries were on the rise at Kelsey Harrison and Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, all in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He stated that at the local government areas, there were also reports of similar cases, but did not disclose the figures.
The statement read: “It behoves me at this time to announce to the people of Rivers State the emergence of a new epidemic. There is an epidemic of political violence going on in Rivers state. At the Ministry of Health, my colleagues and I toil daily to ensure that we provide services, given available resources, in health care delivery.
“We have built some of the best health centres, hospitals and other medical institutions. However, daily, our people are confronted with danger as they go about their normal and lawful businesses.”
According to him, “an orgy of political violence have been unleashed on the people of Rivers State and we are seeing an abnormal increase in deaths and injuries as elections approach.”
He disclosed that statistics from Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) and Kelsey Harrison Hospital from January to 12 March 2015 showed that cases of gunshot injuries were 41 while those from assaults, including machete injuries were 26.
Parker stated that these facts do not include the figures for deaths arising from this new epidemic, adding that, the reason is that the dead were not brought to the hospitals.
“However, as reported in the news recently, there have been killings at Oroworukwo, Okrika, Omoku and numerous others around the state. There is no doubt in my mind that there are cases which were neither reported to the police nor government health facilities.
“Therefore the figures given to you here do not reflect the true index of political violence in our State. Indeed, they may just be the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
“Let us note here that the Ebola scourge for which the country and our state rose up as one to combat only accounted for 10 deaths in Nigeria, out of which 2 were in Rivers state. Today, the number of deaths arising from political violence has greatly surpassed Ebola accounting by 31 deaths. Yet, we go about our lives as if we have accepted this ominous situation.
“We at the Rivers State Ministry of Health have decided to raise this alarm because it is our duty to save lives. We are also using this opportunity to warn our people and make them aware of this danger to our way of life.
“Election period should be a time for debates, exchange of ideas, mobilization of the people not killing”.