The feud between the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi took another dimension yesterday as operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the motorcade of the Minister allegedly attacked the governor’s convoy. The Governor’s Special Adviser on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, who made this known in a statement, noted that the governor escaped assassination during the incident, which occurred while the governor was on project inspection duty at Nwanja Junction on Trans-Amadi Road.
He said that the SARS personnel and soldiers on the Minister’s convoy knocked down the governor’s escort rider and attacked the policemen in the pilot car. He alleged that Mr. Debewari, the Aide -de-camp, to Amaechi, supervised the attack, which included damage of cameras held by journalists.
Nwakaudu also mentioned the Commander of Rivers SARS, Mr. Akin Fakorede who received the Minister of Transportation at the Port Harcourt International Airport and accompanied him on his trip was present during the attack. But in his account, Amaechi said: In a blatant show of naked raw power, Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi this afternoon narrowly escaped being shot by security men attached to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. His car wasn’t that lucky though. The car was vandalized with a broken side mirror.
“The incident occurred in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along Trans-Amadi road, Nwaja axis. The Minister had arrived Port Harcourt this afternoon. “Accompanied by cars of many of his supporters, the Minister’s black jeep was intercepted and blocked at the junction by the security Motorcycle Outrider attached to Wike after two cars had passed through. One of the two cars had security men assigned to protect the minister in Port Harcourt. Suddenly, gun-totting security men attached to Wike’s convoy, surrounded the Minister’s car, threatening to shoot him.
They hit the car, tried to smash the windscreens, back and side windows and broke a side mirror. All through this attack, Amaechi remained calm, inside the fortified Jeep. While the attacked occurred, Wike remained inside his vehicle. “The Minister eventually passed through after the intervention of the security team on ground to protect him in Port Harcourt.
However, when Governor Wike got to the point where the incident occurred after Amaechi’s vehicle had gone by, his security men blocked the road again, dragged out from a vehicle and thoroughly beat up a police man attached to protect Amaechi in Port Harcourt. The Policeman’s riffle was also taken from him.”
The spokesman of the Rivers State police command, Nnamdi Omoni, said he does not have the full details. When also contacted, the commander of SARS, Mr. Akin Fakorede, who was said to be in the motorcade of Amaechi,said that he cannot comment on the incident, and directed this correspondent to the police spokesman.
