Photo: Gov Rotimi Amaechi

Govt, PDP, APC trade blame

Ernest Chinwo

The political crisis in Rivers State appears to be assuming a new dimension as the Ahoada High Court was hit by an explosion early yesterday morning.

The explosion came just as another high court at Okehi in Etche Local Government Area of the state was razed by suspected arsonists.

The Ahoada High Court presided over by Justice Charles Wali was billed to hear a case between the leader of the anti-Governor Chibuike Amaechi lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, Evans Bipi and the leadership of the assembly.

The court had also last month restrained Bipi from parading himself as speaker of the assembly.

THISDAY gathered that the first explosion occurred at about 2 am. Those who were close to the court thought that it was a bomb because of the shattering sound of the explosion.

The registrar of the court upon resumption for work at about 8 am was also said to have seen two suspicious objects in the court premises and alerted the police.

One of the objects suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) was said to have also exploded at the block housing the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) before the arrival of the police bomb disposal unit at about noon. The police retrieved the remaining object.

Although the Rivers State Police Command denied the report of a blast in the court, it however confirmed that a device suspected to be an explosive was retrieved from the court premises by the bomb disposal unit of the command.

The spokesman of the state police command, Mr. Ahmad Muhammad (DSP), said there was no explosion in Ahoada, adding that a yet-to-be detonated explosive device was discovered and was evacuated before it went off.
Reacting to the incidents, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said: “The bombing of the Ahoada High Court has the imprimatur of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), the political platform of the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.”
On the high court in Okehi, she said eyewitnesses had disclosed that the fire started in the early hours of the morning.

“We don’t know what the intensions of the arsonists are, but it may not be unconnected with the on-going court cases in both courts which are related to the current political crisis in the state,” she said.

According to her, “The bombing and arson look like the handiwork of people who are close to the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the member of the House of Assembly, representing Ogo-Bolu Constituency, Evans Bipi.”
Semenitari charged: “Members of the GDI and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as it is currently constituted, are those likely to be behind these sort of violence.

“You will recall that there was an explosion at the Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru, towards the end of the year. You know also that there was an explosion at the Abonema Wharf last year.” 

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms, in his reaction lamented that the actions were designed to instil fear in the judiciary.
“This is worrisome. We need to remind the police that it is their duty to watch over Rivers State; the people of Rivers State and the property of the people of Rivers State,” he said.

In its own reaction, the state chapter of PDP, while condemning the Ahoada incident, said the state government was responsible.

The Special Adviser to the state Party Chairman on Media, Jerry Needam, said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, “The case that temporarily restrained Hon. Evans Bipi from parading himself as speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly was to come up today (yesterday) at the Ahoada High Court.

“Our team of lawyers made up of over 10 senior advocates of Nigeria from Abuja and Lagos arrived the Ahoada High Court this morning to argue for the vacation of the interim order, and saw the senseless and barbaric destruction of the court.
“The PDP makes bold to suspect that the reported bombing was carried out by agents of the Rivers State Government to prevent the court from sitting, so that the court would not be able to vacate the interim order made by the Ahoada High Court Judge, Hon Justice Charles Wali.

“Their aim also of bombing the Ahoada High Court is to further create a state of insecurity in Rivers State, to justify their continuous call for the removal of the state commissioner of police.

"The PDP wishes to remind Rotimi Amaechi and his agents of darkness that the interim order issued by Justice Charles Wali of the Ahoada High Court lasted for only seven days, and it had since expired.

“Therefore, bombing the court to prevent it from sitting was a wasted, wicked, callous and shameful exercise by agents of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.”

In its reaction, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) strongly condemned the bombing and razing of two high courts in the state by unknown persons, and pointed accusing fingers at the state chapter of the PDP.

“It is very unfortunate and sad to note that Ahoada East High Court premises of Rivers State South-South of Nigeria was bombed and set ablaze this morning by agents of undemocratic elements.

“Those that perpetuated this heinous act may not be far from those who are not comfortable with the ruling of His Lordship, Hon. Justice C. N. Wali, of 16th December 2013 barring Hon. Evans Bipi, leader of the G6 rebel members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, from parading himself as speaker of the assembly," said a statement issued on behalf of Chukwuemeka Eze, spokesman of the Rivers APC interim chairman.

“It is on record that the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sponsored by Chief Nyesom Wike, the supervising Minister of Education, has over the time condemned this ruling of the Ahoada East High Court because it threw a spanner in its plot to use the rebel lawmakers led by Bipi to impeach Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in a House of 32 members.

“But the question we need to ask is, does the bombing of this court make Hon. Bipi the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly? One would have expected this group of misfits to challenge the ruling of the High Court at Ahoada East in a higher court instead of sponsoring this act that exposes them as agents of violence.

“The record exposing the agenda of this misguided group for Rivers State and her people as violence prone was exhibited a few days ago when security agencies in Rivers State caught six youths with various sophisticated and dangerous arms at Ogu the home town of Senator Sekibo and Hon Bipi.

“The suspects have been linked to Senator George Sekibo and Hon. Evans Bipi, both chieftains of the state chapter of the PDP led by Chief Wike, whose determination to destabilise the administration of Governor Amaechi is well known to all and sundry.”

Source: This Day