Metro
Rivers LG Poll: Police Confirm Explosions In Port Harcourt, Commence Investigation
The Rivers State Police Command says it is investigating two explosions that rocked the city of Port Harcourt in the early hours of Saturday amid a local government election in the state.
In a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, the police acknowledged the explosion at the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat and another one at Rumuodumaya, the council headquarters of Obio/Akpor.
“The first explosion was reported at the APC Secretariat on Aba Road at approximately 3:00 AM. A security guard reported hearing a loud bang and, upon investigation, observed three black Toyota Hilux vans speeding away from the scene.
“The explosion caused significant damage, destroying the gate and shattering the windows of the building. Additionally, the security building was set ablaze.
“The second explosion occurred at the Obio/Akpor Council secretariat around 3:30 am. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a black Toyota Hilux van and a white Toyota Sienna minivan drive past the secretariat.
“The occupants of these vehicles allegedly threw an object, suspected to be a stick of dynamite, which shattered the roof and caused damage to the generator house of the complex,” the statement read in part.
In response to these incidents, police said the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and Anti-Bomb Squad have been mobilized to both locations.
According to the Command, an improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered at the APC secretariat, and the team has identified the use of incendiary materials in the arson of the security building.
The statement further added that the Command’s Explosive Ordinance Department has collected samples from both sites and is actively investigating the situation.
Channels Television had reported that an explosion rocked the secretariat of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress led by Tony Okocha.
The gate of the secretariat and the doors were shattered by the explosion which happened around 3:20 am.
The Chairman of the faction of APC in Rivers State, Tony Okocha narrated how the incident happened and blamed it on the governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
“About 3:20 am some gun-trotting young men with their explosives and all that, came here and dropped the first explosive, maybe because the one they dropped here did not detonate, they came back the second time to burn the structure – look at the security house is gone.
“Behind me, you will see that there was also an attempt, our people came and we were able to quench the fire,” Okocha said.
“Is the APC secretariat here any voting unit? There is no voting unit here. So, it was deliberate to see how they can annihilate us, it is deliberate to see how they can embarrass us, it is deliberate to see how they can decimate us.”
The Lagos State Taskforce has raided 31 Road, part of Okunola road, Wole Omooso, Blessjar, Idoan at the Gowon Estate area of Lagos.Seventeen persons suspected to be engaging in various criminal activities were also arrested.
This is contained in a press statement by its Director, Press & Public Affairs Gbadeyan Abdulraheem.
During the operation, Taskforce officers uncovered a disturbing cache of illicit substances, including Colorado, Indian hemp, narcotic drugs, and other controlled substances including counterfeit currency.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements endangering the peace and serenity of the citizenry.
He said the operation reflects the agency’s zero-tolerance policy against illegal activities that threaten the peace and security of communities.
Suspected bomb explosions have reportedly rocked Bassa community in Shiroro local government area of Niger State, Nigeria.
It was learnt that one farmer identified as Dauda Haruna was killed while four others, including 3 siblings, were severely injured in the incident.
According to reports, the incident happened between Bassa and Gwadara communities on Thursday morning when the victims were going to farm to harvest crops.
Residents disclosed that the first explosion went up while the 3 siblings, Mali (20), Nehemiah (14) and Jona (15) were on a motorcycle, while the second one went up when the motorcycle of those coming for rescue stepped on it, killing one of the rescuers, Dauda Haruna.
Mr Enoch, the father of the three children, who struggled to control his tears narrated the incident to our correspondent at the IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna, where the victims were being treated.
He said it was second time bombs would explode this month in Bassa.
Enoch said the children were ahead on a bike while he was trekking with his wife when they heard a heavy sound.
“We were going to farm to harvest our crops. So, I asked my children to start going on bike while my wife and I followed on foot. They were far from us but we heard a heavy sound like gunshots. While we were discussing that it might be bandits, someone coming from the same direction told us that some children had stepped on a bomb. I knew they were my children.
“Two people who came from Bassa on a rescue mission again stepped on another bomb close to the scene of my children. Unfortunately, one lost his life,” he explained.
Two of the siblings, Nehemiah and Jonah and one of the rescuers, Abdullahi Shuaibu lost one leg each.
An eyewitness, Sa’adu Shuaibu, told Daily Trust that one of the victims who died was taking loafs of bread to the neighbouring villages when he met the three siblings in distress, with their legs shattered.
“When he saw the children, because he could not help them alone, he rushed to the community to tell us to go and rescue them. So, he picked one person on his bike and on their way, they stepped on another bomb. Unfortunately, the victim who rode the bike died while the person he took lost one of his legs,” he said.
Gunmen operating in Anambra State on Tuesday night shot dead an unidentified man, abducting one more from his vehicle.
The two men were attacked in Ifitedunu community, Dunukofia Local Government Area, while travelling in a Nissan SUV with Lagos registration number; SMK 439 HJ.
This happened the same day that the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo announced total war against criminals in the state while also giving amnesty to repentant criminals.
A viral video circulating on social media showed the body of the slain man in the car, while the driver who was travelling with him was abducted by the criminals.
Members of the Ifitedunu community vigilante who rushed to the scene said the incident happened around 8pm. A voice in the video said the men were chased from a neighbouring community to Ifitedunu by men driving an ash-coloured Lexus Jeep.
They said items in the car showed that the men were returning for Christmas while calling on anyone who knew the vehicle or the slain occupants to come for them.
As of the time of filling this report, the Anambra State Police Command was yet to react to the incident.
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