By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The increasing tension arising from the face-off between the camp of presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and that of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is now making residents of the state uncomfortable.
They are afraid that if the spate of attacks continues, the days leading to the general elections next year might turn to a warlike situation where members of the two camps could resort to bloody attacks on each other if the two camps fail to reconcile before then.
“It may be like the 2919 election that was full of violence during the presidential election and some people were killed or injured. I remember how places like Abonnema and Ogoni were showered with gun shots. That presidential election was something else. I pray this coming next year will not be like that. But the way things are going now, am afraid. See the way the Atiku supporters are shouting of attacks against them. The other time, it was those in Omuma, now it is Senator Maeba. Am also hearing another news that their youth director has been shot yesterday night. And the worst thing is that Atiku and Wike have refused to reconcile. I just pray that God should intervene so that we don’t run next year,” a concerned resident, Goodness Barile, said during a chat with TPCN on Thursday in Port Harcourt.
Also expressing worry about the heightened insecurity in recent times, another resident, Okaru Paul, called on security agents to tackle the menace to ensure safety and peace in Rivers State before, during and after the forthcoming general election. He also appealed to all warring political camps to reconcile.
“The past two or three weeks have not been rosy in the area of security.We have started to witness more attacks by gunmen, kidnapping and other things. See what happened happened at Rumuokoro the other time, how kidnappers attacked a convoy and killed all the policemen and still kidnapped their target. We have also heard of one woman being kidnapped. Then, this senator from Ogoni – they say gunmen also attacked his house. And he’s saying it’s because he’s supporting Atiku. And we have not even started the election, that means more will happen that time. All these things are not good news.
“This whole fight among politicians is not good. Like Atiku and Governor Wike issue, they should try and settle it so that they won’t fight each other that time. We want peace, not war. We have suffered enough,” he said.
In recent days, the media space has been replete with claims and counter claims about attacks on members of the Atiku camp in Rivers State.
One of such outcries came from the chairman of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Sen. Lee Maeba, last week. He claimed that hoodlums suspected to be hirelings attempted to brake into his house, damaging a car in the process.
He also alleged that effort to get the attention of the commissioner of police during the incident proved futile, although the police has debunked his claim.
Perhaps the latest of such attacks is the alleged shooting of the director of youth mobilisation of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Owhorkire Rhino, by unknown gunmen on Wednesday night.
He was said to have been shot in his community, Aluu in Ikwere Local Government Area of the state.
At the time of doing this report, the police has not made any official statement on the incident.
Many Rivers citizens are worried that the rising insecurity in the state might lead to anarchy if nothing is done to arrest it. Some of them cited the recent warning by former SSG and key member of the the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council in Rivers State, Dr Abiye Sekibo, that if attacks on their members persist, they would be forced to resort to self-help.
To many Riversians, a resort to self-help by the Atiku supporters could compound the insecurity rate and throw Rivers State into chaos.
