The protest against hunger and bad governance in Nigeria took a violent turn in Rivers State on Monday night as hoodlums suspected to be protesters attacked the Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Port Harcourt, vandalizing property and leaving a trail of destruction.
The APC Secretariat, located along Aba Road, was invaded by hoodlums who pulled down the entrance gate before security personnel attached to the Secretariat repelled them. The attackers also destroyed a gigantic billboard, signpost, and party flags and posters bearing the faces of party chieftains.
Speaking at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the state APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha, condemned the attack, alleging that those behind it were sponsored. Okocha accused individuals with vested interests of orchestrating the vandalism, saying they were intimidated by the party’s rising profile in the state.
Okocha stated that the attack was meant to get at President Bola Tinubu and make Rivers State the epicenter of the ongoing protest. He expressed concerns that the assailants had left a note threatening to return, and called on the Rivers State Police Command to beef up security around and within the Secretariat to prevent further attacks.
The APC chairman emphasized that the party would not be deterred by the attack, saying, “The millions of those attacks will not stop us in APC from speaking for the people of Rivers State. It will not stop us from being diametrically opposed to a clueless government.”
“It can’t stop us. Is like when the Rivers State House of Assembly was shuttered it did not stop the Assembly from sitting”, he added.
Okocha expressed concerns that the hoodlums had left a note that they would return, saying he had yet to fathom the reason for such an unlawful act.
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“Our Secretariat was attacked yesterday (Monday) and they left us with a note that they are coming back again. I don’t know whether they are coming back today or some other time because it was about 5.00 pm on Monday that they vandalized the Secretariat complex.
“I am aware and we were briefed that there are plans to make Rivers State the epicenter of protest for obvious reasons. One reason is that they need to get to Mr President that Mr President does not seem to be supporting them.
It bears mentioning that the incident has raised concerns about the safety of political parties’ secretariats and the potential for violence during protests in the state. The Rivers State Police Command has been urged to take necessary measures to prevent further attacks and ensure the security of all citizens.
