The attack was said to have had been carried out in three phases, with the first perpetrated at 3:45 a.m. It was reportedly followed by another at about 4:00 a.m., while the last was carried out between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
When Sunday Tribune visited the scene at about 3:00 p.m., the podium meant for the campaign rally was seen damaged by the bomb. Canopies and numerous chairs and tables already set for the event were also destroyed.
Besides, two vehicles, a Toyota Highlander SUV and a Nissan Primera saloon, were completely razed, while a Ford cooling van was vandalised within the campaign venue.
Two other cars, a black Volkswagen Bora and a Toyota Camry, were also seen vandalised, while all roads leading to the venue of the rally had been cordoned off by a combined team of police and army personnel.
An army captain, who headed the security team met on ground at the botched campaign ground, pleaded with Sunday Tribune not to take photographs, for security reasons, saying; “you have seen the level of destruction here. As you can see, we are here to prevent the situation from further escalating.”
How it happened –APC chieftains
Speaking on the attack, the APC chairman in Okrika Local Government Area, Mr Christian Afisamaka, said: “In the wee hours of the morning of Saturday, at about 3.45 a.m., some armed youths started shooting at the venue of the APC governorship rally, National School field.
“Those setting up the sound system and the podium were forced to flee for their lives. At about 4.00 a.m., they started throwing explosives into the arena and destroyed the podium, sound equipment and some canopies.”
The APC chieftain also claimed that the attackers came to the venue of the campaign in a white Toyota Hiace bus from Igbiri, a community sharing borders with the Oba-Ama home of wife of the president, Dame Patience Goodluck.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, in a SMS sent at 10:53 a.m., said “some more boys came and started destroying things at the venue in Okrika again.
“The police, who were coming with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), drove off. We are without any security and are under siege in Okrika. That is our situation as of now.”
Police confirm bombing
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Dan Bature, who also confirmed the incident, said yet-to-be identified youths perpetrated the act, using explosive devices suspected to be dynamites.
Briefing journalists in his office in Port Harcourt after the incident, the police boss said it had heightened tension in the state and advised the APC to reschedule its governorship rally in Okrika for another day.
“The Rivers State Police Command wishes to confirm that on 24/01/2015, at about 0430hrs, at National School field, Okrika, the APC rally arena was attacked with an explosive device suspected to be dynamite by unidentified assailants.
“Podium and public address system were damaged. No life was lost. The area is now under police control, while the Police Bomb Disposal Unit has commenced discreet investigation.
“The incident has heightened tensions and, from our assessment, has the capability of degenerating to a situation where the protection of lives and property will be threatened.”
Tension at PDP’s presidential rally venue
In the same vein, tension has been on the increase ahead the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday, as heavily armed and stern-looking soldiers have taken over the Adokiye Amiesiemaka Stadium proposed to host the event.
When Sunday Tribune visited the stadium, the soldiers, policemen, naval and State Security Service (SSS) officials, said to have had been deployed as early as 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, were seen manning the two entrances into the stadium.
A black Toyota Hilux security van was parked at the main entrance to the stadium with about 20 soldiers seen around the gate, while about 15 others were standing at the second gate.
At about 12:50 p.m., a fleet of patrol vans were driven into the stadium.
The state chapter of PDP had been at loggerheads with state government over the refusal of Governor Rotimi Amaechi to grant the opposition party the permission to use the stadium for its presidential rally.
Rivers PDP chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, and the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Nyesom Wike, had dared Amaechi, saying the PDP would go ahead with the rally at the stadium, even as the governor had vowed not allow the party to use the facility.
Wike visits controversial venue
However, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Wike; some top party officials and members of his campaign team drove into the stadium, Saturday afternoon, for an inspection of the facility ahead of the rally.
Wike, who inspected the security infrastructure around the stadium, met with the venue committee for the presidential rally to fine-tune the process of ensuring a successful rally.
Source: Tribune
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