Police today recovered over N111 million naira from electoral officials allegedly bribed by the Rivers state government during the December 10 2015 rerun parliamentary elections in Rivers state.
According to the report by the IGP investigative panel tasked to investigate the violence during the election presented to the IGP today, the money was recovered from 23 suspects who were allegedly bribed by the Rivers state government to rig the elections.
Source: Daily Trust
The Nigerian army said it has recovered uniforms and one AK-47 rifle belonging to the a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mohammed Alkali killed in the Decdember 10 rerun election in Rivers State.
DSP Alkali and his ordely were killed by a group of suspected cultists and political thugs during an ambush in Ujju community, Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government area of the state.
Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt on Sunday, General Officer Commanding (GOC) the newly-created 6 Division in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim said the items were recovered by troops during a raid on four militant camps in the area.
The GOC warned against violation of Army’s clean-up operation in the crude oil and gas-rich Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, where he said innocent persons were killed daily by militants and cultists.
He also paraded one of the suspects, saying others had been handed over to the police for prosecution.
Abdulkarim said: “Four of the suspected criminals’ camps located across the river in Ujju Town near Omoku (the headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA) were raided on December 31, 2016. In the raid operations, 6 Division troops, in conjunction with Operation Delta Safe Special Boat Service and air component, engaged the suspected criminals in severe exchange of fire, in which they were dislodged. This led to the arrest of suspects.
“Ammunition, uniforms and weapons were recovered. The late DSP Mohammed Alkali with his orderly, Sgt. Urukwu Nwachukwu’s AK-47 rifle and uniforms, as evidenced in the name tags, were also recovered.
“The large cache of ammunition and weapons recovered in the operation also include one AK-47 rifle, two G3 rifles, five double-barrelled guns, two pistols, 31 empty AK-47 magazines, 242 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO and 322 rounds of other ammunition calibre.
“Other recovered items include 31 handsets, bullet-proof jackets, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards, first aid box and seven police uniforms.
“In the last one month, 15 people were horrifically murdered with many others kidnapped in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers State. Those killed include a soldier, four officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), two policemen and eight civilians. The gunmen also took away ammunition, vehicles and weapons.
“This trend of violence cannot be left unchecked. The 6 Division will sustain operation clean-up of the area (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA), for oil companies and the people to go about their businesses in a peaceful environment.
“It is envisaged that sustaining the operation will end the senseless killing of innocent citizens, including security personnel. This will further frustrate illegal arms and ammunition acquisition, which will usher secure environment for economic prospects.
“The clean-up operation is in continuation of efforts by the division to recover and mop up illegally-acquired weapons from cultists and criminals, who do not mean well for our dear nation and refuse to embrace the Rivers State amnesty programme.”
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested five suspects for attempting to disrupt the December 10, 2016 re-run elections in Rivers State, the force’s public relations officer announced on Wednesday.
In his press release, DSP Don N. Awunah praised the police officers deployed to the polling stations for preventing widespread violence, saying that the election was, from a security perspective, “a huge success.”
“The pre-election predictions of plausible and imminent violence was forestalled by the massive deployment of security personnel and logistics, creative engagement of stakeholders, robust interagency collaboration and effective discharge of election duties, coupled with transparency and accountability displayed by the security agents,” Mr. Awunah said. Previous elections in Rivers State have been afflicted with violence, but this time around, police were adequately prepared to protect the integrity of the elections.
While the poll was largely conducted peacefully, attempts were made to instigate violence and disrupt the election, he explained. Five persons accused of such were promptly arrested.
Mr. Awunah disclosed their names to the press: Noble Nwaerema, Dike Deinpiribo, Valentine Alalibo, Onwunari J. Warmate, and Iloke Stephen.
According to the PRO, these suspects were found with stolen Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) materials and weapons.
The recovered INEC items included: one green INEC bag, eight ballot paper booklets, one INEC Accreditation Incident Report forms, one statement of results booklet, one “blood stained” APC agent ID card.
Among the recovered weapons and ammunition recovered were one AK-47 rifle, one assault rifle, six magazines, and 112 rounds of live ammunition.
Mr. Awunah explained that Noble Nwaerema, 33, was arrested by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives along Rumusi Elele. The suspect said the youth president of the Itu-Ikwere community hired him, along with eight others, to steal INEC materials in Emouha Local Government Area.
The four other suspects arrested are members of a cultist group and are “professional political thugs,” Mr. Awunah said. They were responsible for several armed attacks that were carried out in Abonnema, Emuoha, Elele, Eteche, and Omoku
Mr. Awunah added that some security personnel were also arrested for “professional misconduct” that jeopardized the integrity of the electoral process. He assured the news media that a high-powered investigative panel is currently investigating these gross violations of police conduct.
Results of the Rivers state legislative rerun election are still being collated in some constituencies.
So far, two senatorial districts, three federal constituencies, and three state constituencies have been declared.
Mustapha Lecky, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) national commissioner in the south-south, has said the exercise will not go beyond Monday.
See, at a glance, how things stand at the moment:
SENATE
| Name | Party | LGA | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Uchendu | APC | Rivers East senatorial district | 34,193 |
| George Sekibo | PDP | Rivers East senatorial district | 93,098 |
| Magnus Abe | APC | Rivers South East senatorial district | 125,938 |
| Olaka Nwogu | PDP | Rivers South East senatorial district | 25,394 |
| Otelemaba Amachree | APC | Rivers west senatorial district | 48,898 |
| Osinachukwu Ideozu | PDP | Rivers west senatorial district | 107,166 |
HOUSE OF REPS
| Name | Party | Constituency | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen Tamuno | APC | Okrika Ogu/Bolo federal constituency | 5,995 |
| Okwulehie Ikechukwu | PDP | Okrika Ogu/Bolo federal constituency | 11,668 |
| Maurice Pronen | APC | Khana/Gokana federal constituency | 68,219 |
| Dumnamene Dekor | PDP | Khana/Gokana federal constituency | 20,329 |
| Barry Mpigi | APC | Tai/Oyigbo/Eleme federal constituency | 48,760 |
| Jacobson Nbina | PDP | Tai/Oyigbo/Eleme federal constituency | 11,737 |
STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
| Name | Party | Constituency | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday Nkeeh | APC | Khana state constituency 2 | 15,000 |
| Dinebari Loolo | PDP | Khana state constituency 2 | 4,000 |
| Henry Halliday | APC | Bonny state constituency | 2,330 |
| Abinye Pepple | PDP | Bonny state constituency | 6,610 |
| Innocent Barikor | APC | Gokana state constituency | 24,624 |
A video posted by a Twitter User has shown how men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in conjunction with men of the NSCDC allegedly moved ballot boxes from a polling unit in Gokana LGA in Rivers State after which they shot sporadically to scare away electorates who gave them a chase.
Remember that 2 deaths have initially been recorded at same LGA earlier this morning. Despite the widespread violence in Rivers State, electoral practices are still ongoing in some areas.
Watch Video Below:
SARS/Civil Defence Corps snatching electoral materials in Gokana LGA. When people tried to chase they opened fire. #RiversRerun pic.twitter.com/f70v8bdJ9C
— 20.10.2020 (@I_Am_Ilemona) December 10, 2016
BREAKING: INTERIM REPORT ON THE RIVERS RE-RUN ELECTIONS#RiversRerun pic.twitter.com/qx2kgVyot4
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) December 10, 2016
