Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and a devoted supporter of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, is said to have averted assassination late on Sunday night.
According to a statement that was made available to media on Monday morning in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the suspected attackers comprised some police officers and armed thugs under the command of a senior police official in the state.
The statement, written by Ken Uchendu, Ehie’s legislative assistant, said that the purported assassination attempt had to be thwarted by the factional Speaker’s security team.
“At about 11pm 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 an 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 the CNN, Aljazeera and other national and international media outlets for the records.
“In the same vein, the Speaker would be addressing a World Press conference on Monday the 20th of November, 2023.
“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 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 Ahmed Tinubu should hold the above-named Officers, the Rivers State Police Command and their sponsors in Rivers State responsible,” Uchendu stated.
