The liaison office built by Senator Magnus Abe for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers South East located in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoni people has been set ablaze by youths wielding dangerous weapons.
Confirming the incident, one of aides to the senator, Kennedy Friday in Facebook post said “The South-East senatorial liaison office built by Senator Magnus Abe, the first of its kind in the history of Rivers South-East has been set on fire.
“The office is located in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoni people and headquarters of Rivers South-East Senatorial District. It employs more than 20 people who offer services in the complex. It’s the most architecturally exposing edifice in the area. It gave facelift to Bori.
According to Friday “As I type these words, the office complex has been set on fire by gun-wielding youths barely two days after Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State charged PDP supporters in Ogoni to stop Magnus Abe from being re-elected into the senate.
“The Governor made the comment at Luuwa community in Nyokhana, Ogoni, on Saturday the 20th of February, 2016, while addressing PDP supporters at the birthday ceremony of Sen. Lee Maeba.
“As I type these words, Bori is tensed. Wherever you are, please pray for Rivers State, pray for Ogoni,” Kennedy Friday said.
In a press statement issued on behalf of the senator by his spokesman, Parry Saroh Benson at 10:30 pm on Monday night Abe he said that the information available to him has revealed that the senatorial liaison office of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 19th re-run election in Rivers South East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has been attacked in Bori, Ogoni on Monday 22nd February, 2016.
He said armed men clad in army uniform suspected to be thugs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state is alleged to have been responsible for the dastardly act.
The statement quoting an eyewitness account said, “The criminals carrying sophisticated weapons threw dynamites and bombs into the senatorial office of Senator Magnus Abe in Bori as staff and visitors scampered for safety.
Senator Abe “recalled that few days ago, Governor Nyesom Wike had at the 50th Birthday celebration of Senator Lee Maeba in Luuwa, Khana Local Government Area in Rivers state charged PDP supporters that he will not be happy unless they stop Senator Magnus Abe’s re-election bid by all means.
“The event of today has clearly shown that the charge by the Governor to his supporters to stop Senator Abe has just begun by the attack on the senatorial liaison office.
“We view this attack as a cheap attempt to intimidate our supporters and so fear to participate in the forthcoming re-run election.
“I want to call on all our supporters and all law abiding citizens of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District,especially the people of Ogoni not to take laws in their hands nor do anything that will lead to lost of lives and property but to remain resolute and ready to participate fully in the forthcoming re-run election in the area”. Abe said.
He went further to say, “the struggle to liberate Ogoniland, Rivers State and particularly Rivers South East Senatorial District from the claws of political gangsters, criminals and thugs masquerading as political leaders cannot be won without sacrifice”.
Abe added that the reign of impunity, violence and lawlessness has reached its zenith in Rivers State and “we cannot pretend that any kind of election could be held under this atmosphere unless something is done to bring to book the perpetrators of this heinous crime as March, 2016 may not be different from March, 2015”.
The statement concludes by saying “we do not need to wait until the Omoku experience repeat itself in Bori where over 20 persons were killed in one day. Therefore, I called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Police and other security agents in the State to act fast in order to forestall further attacks by criminal gangs on the people”.Senator Abe said.
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