The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has inaugurated a nine-member committee to investigate the bombing of its state secretariat on October 5, 2024.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the day when suspected dynamite was detonated at the APC Secretariat on Aba Road, coinciding with local government elections in the state.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday after a meeting of the newly-elected State Executive, Rivers APC Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, announced the panel’s formation.
The committee, led by the party’s Legal Adviser, Kelechi Nwuzi, has been given one month to submit its findings.
Okocha emphasised the panel’s mandate to uncover the immediate and remote causes of the attack, which marked the second bombing of the secretariat in recent times.
He lamented that despite repeated calls for action, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration had ignored the incident, prompting the APC to take matters into its own hands.
The explosion, reportedly occurring at around 3:00 am, caused significant damage, destroying the gate, shattering windows, and setting the security post ablaze. Witnesses reported seeing three black Toyota Hilux vans fleeing the scene.
Okocha highlighted a report from the Rivers State Police Command, signed by its spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirming the attack.
Okocha criticised the state government’s Judicial Commission of Inquiry into arson and violence during the local government elections, describing it as “political mischief.”
He said the APC’s panel would conduct an impartial investigation, free from political interference.
“The essence of government is the protection of lives and property. Since the state government has shown apathy, we have decided to set up our panel. It will investigate and report the causes of the bombing,” he stated.
The APC Chairman stressed that the panel had the authority to summon anyone, including Governor Fubara, despite his constitutional immunity.
Okocha appealed to President Bola Tinubu to support the APC in Rivers State and praised the President’s policies aimed at addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges.
“This is the second time our office has been targeted. We want a thorough investigation. If no one wants to help us, we will help ourselves,” Okocha concluded.
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