- The fractional Speaker raised the alarm over an assassination attempt on his life
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, has debunked the alleged assassination attempt on the factional Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Edison Ehie.
Ehie, the former House leader of the state legislative assembly became the factional speaker during the Governor Siminialayi Fubara impeachment saga of last month.
He, however, raised the alarm on Monday, November 19, over an assassination attempt on his life allegedly led by two senior police officers serving in the state.
In the statement signed by one Ken Uchendu, the assassins were fully armed and ready to kill him but were overpowered by a team of security detail attached to him.
The incident reportedly happened at his residence in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Sunday, November 19.
The statement further alleged that the scene was recorded by close circuit Television (CCTV), camera in his house.
It said: “At about 11 pm on Sunday the 19th day of November 2023, a group of Armed thugs and rogue Police Officers led by one SP. Irikefe London Owen, a superintendent of Police attached to the CTU B 3 RSV and CSP Salihu Masalachi attacked the private residence of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Barr. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS, fully armed with the intention to assassinate Mr. Speaker and his family.
“However, the thugs and rogue Police Officers led by the two above-named police officers in Rivers State were vehemently repelled in a gun battle by the official security details attached to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Barr. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS.
“It is imperative to note that the armed rogues and officers were properly and fully captured by CCTV footage in the residence, which shall be made available to all media Houses, including CNN, Aljazeera, and other National and International media outlets for the records.”
He threatened the mother of all protests against the Police if they continue to promote violence and bias in the state, and called on President Bola Tinubu to hold men of the Nigerian Police responsible should the state be thrown into crisis anytime.
He said: “Let it be on record that Rivers people, boys, girls, women, men including the aged shall in our numbers occupy the streets stark naked in a demonstration against the Nigerian Police and those sponsoring violence in Rivers State, no matter how highly placed, Rivers people will resist them.
“Finally, should there be a breakdown of Law and order in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu should hold the above-named Officers, the Rivers State Police Command, and their sponsors in Rivers State responsible.”
However, reacting to the claims, Disu noted that preliminary investigations did not suggest any ill intentions by the police instead, it was a usual police routine convoy patrol in parts of the capital city that was not targeted at Ehie or any other person.
The CP said: “The preliminary investigations we have done so far, this morning, have not revealed any assassination attempt, all I knew was that Police officers were on patrol, convoy patrol.
“It is a routine thing and then we have made frantic efforts to get across to the leader to give us any information he has so that we can include it in what we already have. So far so good, nothing to worry about.
“My plead to him and every other person is if there is any complaint, my number is going to be made public, they should call me quickly and I will quickly look into it. For now, I haven’t gotten anything like that.”