The police have arrested five suspects for allegedly causing violence during last Saturday’s legislative rerun in Rivers State.
The suspects are: Noble Nwaerema, Dike Deinpiribo, Valentive Alalibo, Onwunari Warmate and Iloke Stephen.
Exhibits recovered from them include: a green Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) branded bag, eight booklets of ballot papers meant for Emohua Local Government Area, one booklet of statement of results, one blood-stained All Progressives Congress (APC) agent’s identification card.
Other items are: one AK-47 riffle, one assault rifle, six magazines and 112 rounds of live ammunition.
The police said the suspects were behind several armed attacks during the elections at Abonnema, Emuoha, Elele, Eteche and Omoku, where a police officer was reportedly killed.
The police also said some security operatives were directly or indirectly involved in the chaos that occurred during the rerun.
On those arrested, Force spokesman Don Awunah said: “In the course of the rerun, some suspects, who attempted to scuttle the electoral process, were arrested and sensitive materials were recovered from them, arms and ammunition inclusive.
“Noble Nwaerema, 33, on December 10, was arrested by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives at Rumusi Elele. He claimed to have been hired by the youths president of Itu-Ikwere community together with eight other persons from a neighbouring state. They invaded Emouha Local Government Area and carted away electoral materials meant for polling units in the area. He was arrested with some of the exhibits while others are at large.
“Intelligence report confirmed that the electoral materials were taken to a government facility and escorted by armed personnel.”
On others, Awunah said: “Dike Deinpiribo, Valentine, Onwuarari and Iloke belong to a group of (suspected) cultists and professional political thugs. They claimed that their services were engaged by Boma Goodhead who bought two AK-47 rifles and commissioned his driver, Iryo, to convey the weapons in his black Toyota Prado Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and handed same to the suspects at Degema.”
On the involvement of security operatives in the election chaos, the spokesman said: “It is instructive to maintain that some security operatives were arrested for professional misconduct, actions, inactions, omissions and commissions that were detrimental to the electoral process of the Rivers State legislative rerun.
“Some of them directly or indirectly connived with some politicians to scuttle the process. A high-powered investigative panel is currently looking into this unacceptable professional misconduct. We don’t want to mention names now because of those they were conniving with and because investigation is on to know the extent at which they were involved.
“We don’t want to jeopardise the investigation because by the time we give names, those who have had dealings with them will probably want to hide evidence. But we have rounded up a good number of security men and they are helping in investigation in what act they played in scuttling the elections.”
On the number of casualty recorded, he said: “It is only police that suffered a casualty;, at least, from our records so far. If there is any other person, they should come forward. But nobody has reported to us that they lost somebody during the election. Only one police officer died. You can only talk about casualty when you can see a body. But if somebody is not seen, he is considered missing and not dead.
“The orderly (to the police officer) is missing and the vehicle they were driving is also missing. But sooner or later, we will get to the heart of it.
“But the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has drafted personnel from all over the country to ensure that investigation is carried out.”
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