Group of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives known as the G60 has said that the use of explosives by Pro-Wike protesters in Rivers State will end democracy if not stopped now.
Despite calls by the police on groups to suspend their planned protest over the local government tenure elongation crisis in Rivers State, some supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom, defied the order to stage a protest leading to the death of one person following the detonation of what is suspected to be dynamite.
The incident occurred around the Hotel Presidential axis along the busy Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, during a protest organised by the loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in support of the occupation of the 23 LGA secretariats by the police.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, confirmed the incident, describing it as a malicious attempt to detonate an explosive.
Reacting to the development, the G60 lawmakers, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, stated that the use of explosives by supporters of Wike is an invitation to anarchy which must be averted.
The statement called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Inspector General of Police and the DSS to find out who financed the use of explosives at a protest and find out whether there are other explosives that have been planted in different corners in Rivers state.
They also called on the police to allow council workers to resume work.
The statement read: “We wish to condemn in strong terms the idea of protesters moving about with explosives and more importantly these are supporters of a minister who is serving in President Tinubu’s government. Seeing supporters of a minister serving in president Tinubu’s government carrying explosives and which we already heard that one or two people already died because of the device exploded is very worrisome.
“The security agencies should use the energy they are using in sealing up local government headquarters to actually find out how explosives were moved into Rivers State. These were how Boko Haram and all the security issues we are dealing with in Nigeria started and we shouldn’t allow this.”
The statement added: “President Bola Tinubu owes Nigerians a duty to direct the Inspector General of Police and DSS to find out who financed the use of explosives at a protest and find out whether there are other explosives that have been planted in different corners in Rivers state. If government doesn’t do this we hold government responsible if anything leads to breakdown of law and order in Rivers. Government should have arrested those local government chairmen who made an attempt to illegally seal the local government, including those calling for state of emergency.”
