Protester’s death: Rivers APC kicks as police invite gov candidate
The All Progressives Congress’ Tonye Cole was invited by the Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday to be questioned on the shooting murder of a PDP supporter who was allegedly killed on Monday during a protest in Port Harcourt.
PDP supporters had demonstrated on Monday at the INEC’s office on Aba Road, calling for a joint examination of the records used for the March 18 governorship election. But, the rally descended into violence.
Cole arrived at the GRA junction area of Aba Road on Monday to proceed to the INEC office in order to keep the date with the commission’s promise for them to inspect the Certified True Copy documents in order to enable the party to proceed to the tribunal. Cole was accompanied by the state APC chairman, Emeka Beke, and a few other party leaders.
When they learned that Cole was nearby, the demonstrators sprinted in his direction and attacked him with stones and clean water sachets; if not for his security personnel, he might have been surrounded.
Cole in an interview with newsmen later said, “They slapped me, they pushed me, threw stones at me and I was injured on my back.”
As Cole’s security guards and the raging youngsters got into a fight, the security guards fired indiscriminately to get the mob to disperse, but it was also reported that some of the thugs had also fired indiscriminately and hit the man in the crossfire.
The PDP fan who was hurt was sent to the hospital right away for treatment since his left leg was gushing blood.
The PDP’s State Publicity Secretary, Sydney Gbara, however, said in a statement to our correspondent that the injured man eventually passed away in the hospital.
“From the information we are hearing now, the man is dead,” he said.
When contacted, Okon Effiong, the state commissioner of police, verified through text that Cole had received an invitation, stating, “That is just an invitation.”
Cole was captured on camera on Monday at the APC secretariat screaming and pleading with the police commissioner to save him, claiming that thugs had surrounded the party’s office on Woji Road, GRA, in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, an official letter inviting Cole was reportedly issued to the APC state secretariat.
Darlington Nwauju, the State APC Publicity Secretary, who verified that PDP leaders named in the attack on the party’s governorship candidate, Cole, had not been invited by the police for questioning, questioned why.
“It is shocking that the police are inviting our candidate, Cole, for questioning over a said killing. What is the identity of the person killed?
