This is full of lies! Rivers Crisis: How Senator Abe was shot — Tony Okocha In this interview the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha gave a blow-by- low account of how the Police conducted its operations on January 12 while aborting a rally of the Save Rivers Movement at the Arts and Science College, Rumuola during which Senator Magnus Abe was allegedly shot with a rubber bullet. What really happened on Sunday, January 12, at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, in Obio Akpor local government area? That day, I saw brute force. The rally was actually billed to commence at 1p.m. At about 6 a.m. members of the SRM who live close to the venue had arrived to make sure that everything was set. Then the person who called me earlier called again that the police were shooting teargas to disperse the crowd. You know the way some of our people behave: some people came to the venue very early in the day, maybe to position themselves where they can see what will transpire during the occasion. He kept calling me persistently, so I got up, hurriedly took my bathe and left for the venue of the rally. I got to the venue before 8a.m. When I got there I saw so many policemen. The policemen had even blocked one side of the road, but I managed to drive my car through one narrow path. I could only get as far as the entrance into Psychiatric Road. I then moved forward to address a Police officer that I saw. He had the name tag Hassan; He wore an eagle epaulette on his shoulders. So, I asked him: ‘what is the problem?’ He told me that they had instruction not to allow the programme hold. So, I asked why and who gave the instruction. He told me the instruction was from the Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu. So, I asked him what was the meaning of what he was saying and why the commissioner of police would ask that the SRM should not hold a peaceful rally after the police have been duly informed. He spoke with such disrespect: just like giving me an order and walked away. But some young men who were standing close to him called his attention to the fact that I am the Chief of Staff to the Government of Rivers State. Having been told that I was the chief of staff, he came back and apologised. At a point, I asked the police officer: ‘between the Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, who is the chief security officer of the state?’ The law is clear that the governor is the chief security officer of the state. The Police man turned and walked away. We then walked to the venue of the rally with a few young men that were with me. We were shocked at what we saw. The canopies had been dismantled; the chairs thrown to different directions; our gadgets had been destroyed. I was in some kind of rage because I couldn’t just imagine that the police will do what they had done. So, I asked the young men that were with me to erect the canopies and arrange the chairs. What I saw after 20 minutes was a thick reinforcement of policemen, driving into the College of Arts and Science, Rumouola, in three armored personnel carriers with sirens blaring. The next thing I heard was ‘take alignment; take alignment’ whatever that meant I don’t know. So, all the police men now strategically positioned themselves. Then, the next thing I heard was sounds of canisters being fired. It was not that they were shooting into the air, no, they were shooting directly at the crowd that was already building up. Within minutes, the whole place was engulfed in smoke. I couldn’t understand it because they were shooting at me directly. So, some of the boys that were standing close to me started shouting: ‘Oga, run, run you are the target’. Confused and shocked, I stood, looking at what was happening. The boys couldn’t take it anymore and began pushing me out of the venue. At that point, the boys managed to package me to one flat belonging to Elder Wiyonka. Six of his children that were sleeping, jumped up apparently having inhaled the smoke. We had to rush them to the kitchen which was behind the flat and started bathing them with kerosene since it is believed to be an antidote. Because they (Police) knew that what they were doing was wrong, they kept picking the shells of the canisters after firing them. They parked one APC in front of the house where we were. So, I was wondering: could it be that I was under arrest? Then, Senator Magnus Abe called and asked where I was. I told Senator Abe that I was trapped in Elder Wiyonka’s house. Senator Abe asked what was happening and I told him and he said he was coming. I saw Senator Abe outside the gate of the compound, who, apparently had come to rescue me thinking that his status as a Senator would be respected by the police. So I briefed him on what had happened. I saw Dr. Uche Mike Chukuma, a Police officer who appeared to be in charge of the operation. Then Senator Abe and I moved forward to address some police officers that were standing close to the entrance of the venue of the rally. Senator Abe asked them why they were allowing the Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, to hold their rallies while preventing the SRM from doing the same thing. One police officer then walked up to Senator Abe and told him ‘Oga make you dey leave here now; I beg, make you leave quick.’ Because of the warning given by the police officer, Abe started following one particular officer, telling him that “if anything happens to me I will hold you responsible”. Was this inside the venue of the rally? Oh no! We were outside the venue. The entrance had been barricaded with Armored Personnel Carriers, APC’s and operational police Toyota Hilux vehicles. Can you put a name to the officer that Senator Abe was profiling? No, the situation was so tensed then. So, you turned back and left? No we didn’t leave. Senator Abe and I started moving towards the main gate of the venue, then, suddenly, Abe screamed: ‘they have shot me, they have shot me’. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing Senator Abe was shot at pointblank. Abe was now clutching his chest. At that point my legs were being shot at pointblank with teargas canisters. My security details managed to package Senator Abe and I into Abe’s car off the road since one side of the road had been blocked to traffic. What brand of car was this? An armored Toyota Land Cruiser. What was your next step after alighting form Senator Abe’s car? Since the police prevented us from holding the rally at the College of Arts and Science at Rumuola, we decided to relocate to Rumuigbo to hold our rally at the Rumuigbo Civic Centre. Just as we were at the verge of settling down, we heard another wave of siren blaring. Again, the police started shooting and women, including pregnant women who were seated started scampering for their dear lives.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 08:17:50 +0000