Fresh information has emerged claiming that suspected thugs have attacked supporters of the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in Eberi, Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Naija News understands that the PDP presidential campaign council coordinator in Omuma, Nnamdi Nwogu, confirmed the attack and disclosed that one person was shot by the suspected thugs.
According to Nwogu, over 30 youths brandishing machetes and guns attacked him, his aide and three others while they were pasting posters of their principal at Eberi-Omuma junction in Omuma yesterday.
He alleged that political leaders in the area ordered the attack, saying his aide, Udochukwu Nwakpala was cut with machetes and shot at.
He, however, said Udochukwu was in critical condition in an undisclosed hospital in Port Harcourt.
In his narrative, the coordinator said “Three days ago, I gave my boys posters of Atiku Abubakar to paste in my local government, and yesterday (Sunday) I now called one of my boys, Udochukwu and a friend of mine to join me to see if the posters were pasted the way I have directed.
“When we got to the place, I saw the posters in some areas. But I noticed that the posters were not at a strategic place called Eberi-Omuma. I said okay since I am around let me ensure it was done. I said come and paste these posters here.
“The next thing, we saw over 30 boys armed with machetes and guns. These boys looked at me, they started attacking us. They used machetes on my boy, Udochukwu, and harassed me and my friend with machetes.
“Even when I tried to rescue my boy who was bleeding because they ratcheted this boy all round and shot him.
“We managed to move him with the bleeding and rushed him to the hospital. While we were there, the boy was on a drip, and we got a call that they (assailants) were trailing us.”
Naija News gathered that Nwogu also disclosed that the attackers had told him that they were sent to stop him and his team from campaigning for Atiku in the area.
He also noted that he reported the matter to the Eberi-Omuma and Okehi police stations.
Nwogu continued saying, “It is only God that knows how he rescued me and this boy from them. Maybe we would have been killed just to go and paste posters. We have not even started campaigns yet.
“They said they were asked to attack me and all the supporters of Atiku. That we must not campaign for Atiku in this local government. What is our crime? Allow me to campaign for my candidate, and if you have your candidate why not go and campaign for your own candidate? Does it call for war?
“As I speak to you now, I am not in my house. The boy is in an undisclosed hospital. First of all, I want to call for police protection. I want to also say the FG should come to my aid because my life, my family and the life of my boy are at stake.”
The spokesman of the PDP Presidential campaign council in Rivers state, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, who condemned the incident called on the police to immediately begin investigations with a view to arresting those behind the attack.
Nwibubasa advanced that “This reign of terror on members of our great party in Omumu LGA who were elected freely to support Atiku Abubakar yesterday (Sunday) is highly condemnable.
“The life of Udochukwu Nwakwala is presently at stake and we are worried if he will survive the gunshots and machete cuts that were rained on him for simply pasting Atiku’s posters in Omuma.
“I want to call on the Governor of Rivers State (Nyesom Wike) to call his members of the party that are loyal to him and carrying out orders inimical to humanity to order. This is a test case for the new commissioner of police in the state. He must investigate, arrest and prosecute whoever is responsible for this dastardly act.”
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