Pres Jonathan, Stop This Reign Of Impunity In Rivers – APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently put an end to what it termed the worsening reign of impunity in Rivers State.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the call has become even more imperative, following the irresponsible act of brigandage by the police, which stopped a rally billed for the Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state today by the Save Rivers Movement (SRM).
”The police went to the venue of the rally, pulled down the erected canopies and fired tear gas at everyone around there and even into nearby homes, with the result that five children are now feared to have died from suffocation due to this shameful Gestapo-style action of the police, who are being funded by taxpayers to protect the lives and property of the same citizens they are now brutalizing and killing.
”Not only that, they injured the Chief of Staff to Gov. Chibuike Amaechi and fired a supposed rubber bullet, at point blank range, at Senator Magnus Abe, who is now gravely injured. The Senator is believed to have been deliberately targeted for attack by the police,” the APC alleged in the statement.
However, the Rivers Police Command on Sunday denied allegations that its personnel shot and wounded a member of the National Assembly, Sen. Magnus Abe.
Its spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP), said the police did not dispense any bullet while dispersing a rally by Save Rivers Movement on Sunday.
He said the group was at the state College of Arts and Science for the rally when they were dispersed because they did not obtain a police permit.
“I can confirm to you that Sen. Magnus Abe was not shot. The police did not expend any single bullet while dispersing the crowd.
“It is not true. The police did not shoot the senator, we only used minimum force to disperse the crowd at the venue of the rally,’’ he said.
The Rivers Government earlier alleged that Abe was shot by the police at the venue of the rally.
