The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Rivers State, has called for the arrest and investigation of top chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state following the kidnap and subsequent murder of the party’s Organizing Secretary in Ikwerre local government area of the state, Hon. Samuel Wanjoku.
The PDP chietains include: Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; State PDP Chair, Felix Obuah; Chairman of Ikwerre, Samuel Nwanosike; PDP candidate for Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, B.S Emerengwa and PDP Candidate for Ikwerre State Constituency, Anselem Oguguo as well as Darlington Orji, State Publicity Secretary of the PDP
Wanjoku, who is the younger brother to the member representing Ikwerre Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Azubike Wanjoku and a friend, Hon. Moses Ogu, were kidnapped more than a week ago along the Ubima-Omuanwa Road in Ikwerre local government area.
The decomposing corpse of the APC secretary was recovered one week later at a forest near Ubima community while the whereabouts of Ogu is still unknown.
APC, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Director and Secretary of its Campaign Committee in Ikwerre local government area, Bouchi Nsirim and Ikenda Clinton Elechi, respectively, called on the Inspector-General of Police to set up a fact-finding team to look into the murder.
The statement reads: “Recall that last week Sunday November,11th, 2018, the duo of Hon. Samuel Wanjoku, Organizing Secretary of our party in Ikwerre LGA and Moses Ogu, a party Chieftain honored invitation of the Anglican Church in their community, Apani, Ikwerre LGA
“On their way back to Port Harcourt, at about 15:00hrs, they were attacked and abducted by unknown gun men along the Omuanwa-Ubima axis of the express way. Ever since, all efforts to establish contacts with them proved abortive
“Sadly, the attention of the APC Campaign Organization was earlier today (Saturday) drawn to the bullet-ridden decomposing corpse of Hon. Samuel Wanjoku deep inside the forest between Omuanwa and Ubima in the LGA. Till this moment, the whereabouts of Hon. Moses Ogu remains unknown.
“As already known, those who kidnap for ransom have the habits of calling friends and families of their victims, quite unusual, in this case, no call for ransom was made. For us therefore, it is clearly a case of assassination.
“You would recall that this is the same pattern of killings adopted by the PDP in 2015 when many citizens where mindlessly slaughtered by agents of the PDP.
“At the moment, intelligence at our disposal indicates that leaders of the PDP including the Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; State PDP Chair, Felix Obuah; Chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Samuel Nwanosike; PDP Candidate for Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, B.S Emerengwa and PDP Candidate for Ikwerre State Constituency, Anselem Oguguo and Darlington Orji, State Publicity Secretary of the PDP were alleged to be the major sponsors of this dastardly act
“We would like to notify Nigerians particularly security agencies that the PDP and its leaders have begun their usual killings intended at intimidating supporters of the APC.
“More importantly, we would like to warn that the APC would not sit back and watch their supporters slaughtered by the PDP and their leaders.
“While we ask our supporters to remain calm, we call on the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, to as a matter of urgency, declare State of Emergency in the State in order to tackle frequent cases of abduction, kidnapping, beheadings and killings in the State.
“We also call on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, CP Zaki Ahmed to urgently constitute a Fact-finding Panel to investigate and unravel the circumstances under which our members where abducted and murdered.
“We also ask that the above mentioned suspects who allegedly sponsored the assassination be immediately arrested and thoroughly investigated. In making this request, we are aware the Governor, at the moment enjoys immunity, however, we ask that the needful be done pending when his immunity expires in 2019.”
