Thugs stab Okonkwo, attack Ngige's convoy
Violence rocks Anambra, Edo, Plateau, Oyo
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Uzamere's orderly killed in Edo
PDP shelves rally over Jos blasts..
FOUR states were literally turned to war zones between Sunday evening and yesterday by politicians and their supporters, who resorted to all forms of violence, some bloody and abduction to settle grievances with perceived enemies.
In Edo State, fear gripped the residents of Benin City, the state capital, as suspected gunmen killed the police orderly of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for the South Senatorial District, Ehigie Uzamere. The lawmaker, however, escaped unhurt.
The situation was not different in Awka and Onitsha, Anambra State where Senator Annie Okonkwo of the Accord Party and Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) campaign trains had it rough with thugs allegedly sponsored by another party.
The two senatorial candidates had scheduled separate appointments with traders in the areas.
The political gladiators in Plateau State also heightened tension generated by last Sunday's bomb explosion as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hurriedly shelved its governorship rally scheduled for Bukuru, Jos-South.
The party's allegations that its opponents from the Labour Party (LP) were behind the explosion, attracted the anger of the opposition party, which accused the state government of planting explosives to scare the people.
Mr. Raymond Dabo, the state PDP Deputy Chairman, claimed the opposition was responsible for the explosions and urged the police to bring the perpetrators to book. But Mr. Sylvanus Namang, LP Director of Publicity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the party (LP) was a peaceful one and was using peaceful means to change the PDP government in the state.
A leader of the Accord Party (AP) in Oyo State, Julius Olaoye was on Sunday evening abducted by some hoodlums believed to be factional members of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.
Besides, two other persons, identified as Ajasa Balogun and his wife, Kehinde, who attempted to stop Olaoye's abduction, were injured by the hoodlums.
The incident, which occurred at AP's office in Iyana Church area of Ibadan, the state capital was alleged to have been spearheaded by some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Trouble broke out when one of the factional leaders of the transport union swooped on the AP members in a Mercedez Benz Jeep at 7 p.m. and reportedly abducted Olaoye.
Although the AP members said they were yet to hear from the victim, the party hinted that it petitioned the state Police Commissioner, Baba Adisa Bolanta on the development.
Okonkwo, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party, had his left arm stabbed by a suspected thug and rushed to a nearby private hospital. He was later discharged and left for home.
His main attacker and lead suspect in the saga, who was shot by security details attached to the lawmaker, is also responding to treatment in a hospital in Awka.
Trouble allegedly started when Okonkwo donated a 500KVA transformer to the traders in response to their Save Our Soul (SOS) message by the leadership of the market that they have been in darkness since late 2006. His gesture alleged caused wild jubilation in the city, which was spread by taxi cabs and commercial motorcycle riders. This allegedly infuriated some members of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), who mobilised their members against the Senator and his entourage.
One of the thugs dazed everyone around, including the security details attached to Okonkwo when he charged at him, brandishing a long knife menacingly. He succeeded in stabbing the senator on the arm and a policeman before he was demobilised.
Before the assault, the thugs started chanting the slogan of APGA, which was echoed by a handful of men, who had taken positions nearby in a taskforce vehicle belonging to the state government.
When attempts were made by security operatives to lead them out of the arena, they drew long knives they had concealed under their dresses and attacked the policemen and others around, which led to a stampede.
The situation hardly settled when news came that Ngige was in Onitsha trying to enter the main market, allegedly blocked by a combine team of Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA) Market Taskforce and suspected APGA supporters.
Ngige was invited by the leadership of the market to address them at their Monday morning prayers. The taskforce and thugs, who blocked the entrance, insisted that they were acting on "order from above."
In the midst of the confusion, the taskforce attacked three of Ngige's drivers and damaged six of the vehicles in the convoy.
Apparently touched by the incident, traders who had been waiting to receive Ngige started chanting "Holy Ghost fire" and singing "Ngige ka anyi ga eso," which literarily means: "It is Ngige that we will follow."
The traders carried their brooms, symbol of the ACN and the posters of Ngige forming a ring around the convoy in order to avert further damage to the vehicles.
After about three hours, an Assistant Police Commissioner, Parry Osita, arrived at the scene with some policemen and tried to disperse the crowd.
Osita advised Ngige to reschedule the meeting but the traders insisted that he must address them on the spot.
After normalcy was restored, Ngige said, "no amount of intimidation can stop me from talking to my brothers and sisters in Anambra State. Even if they destroy my cars, I will go on my campaign on foot. They cannot stop the people of Anambra State from supporting their candidate and that is me."
Reacting to the Awka incident, Okonkwo, Campaign Director, Chief Jeo Martins Uzodike told reporters that "when a thug brought out a machete to stab Okonwo, he was prevented by security people and the machete slightly touched the senator. This is unfortunate the way people are going about this and I wish to warn that nobody has the monopoly of violence."
In the Benin attack, Uzamere's police orderly, Onyisi Ekeaze, a sergeant was not lucky as he was shot in the chest and died while the senator's driver simply identified as Muhammed, sustained gunshot wounds in his hip.
The incident happened around Zabayo, Ogbe area of Benin City on Sunday night.
The state Police Commissioner, David Omajola, who confirmed the incident to journalists, said investigations were on, adding that "we are mourning because we have lost a gallant officer."
On whether suspects had been arrested, Omajola said he was bereaved and would not want to comment on it.
Narrating his experience to journalists yesterday, a visibly shaken Uzamere, called on the police to investigate the attack as he alleged it was an assassination attempt that was politically motivated.
"It was between 7.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. by Zabayo, I had two of my vehicles, one with my aides and I was in my own. As soon as I got down to meet my aides in the other vehicle, I heard gunshot out of the car; we took cover first to identify where the shot was coming from. My police orderly, Sergeant Onyisi Ekeaze was gunned down, my driver, Muhammed, was shot in the hip. We called in SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) and in the process; we discovered my driver was shot in the chest. The MOPOL returned fire and killed one of the assailants while the other three escaped in the vehicle they brought. We want the police to investigate this issue to know why."
Mr. Jonathan Ishaku, the Director of Publicity of the Jang Campaign Organisation, in his reaction to the Sunday blast, said the LP should be investigated and alleged that the party had been violent in its rallies. "Our opponents are planting bombs everywhere in Jos now; the aim is to scare people away from voting but we urge our supporters to remain calm," Dabo said.
Ishaku, however, disagreed that the PDP campaign rally was shelved because of the security situation in the metropolis.
"We shelved the campaigns to pay our respects to the late Head of Plateau Civil Service, Mr. Satti Dakwak, who is being buried today (yesterday)," he said.
But LP, the main opposition political party in the state, has denied the allegations that it was behind the blasts and accused the PDP of politicising the explosions to gain sympathy."
Meanwhile, Capt. Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for the military Special Task Force (STF), has said another bomb explosion was foiled at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in the heart of the town while the Sunday service was underway.
Ekeocha explained that the two men, who planted the bombs, came on a motorcycle and quickly disappeared after dropping the explosive.
