Rivers rerun: Soldiers, policemen hijacked election materials – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has accused the Nigerian Army and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, of hijacking electoral materials and working to deliver a particular candidate in Rivers South-East Senatorial District.

The governor added that no matter the use of the Nigerian Army and SARS personnel by the APC Government, Rivers State would never be conquered.

He further alleged that there were mass shootings by the Nigerian Army and the Police in Khana, Gokana, Akuku-Toru and Etche Local Government Areas.

Governor Wike said that the security agencies were deployed to the State to manipulate the result of the polls.

The Governor, at a media briefing in Government House, Port Harcourt, alleged that at Khana Local Government Area , election materials were hijacked by the Nigerian Army and the SARS personnel.

He added that in Gokana Local Government Area soldiers hijacked election materials for Wards 2 and 3 in Bodo City, where he alleged that the military also killed two persons in the process of fleeing with the materials.

Governor Wike said that out of the 19 wards of Etche Local Government Area, soldiers and SARS personnel hijacked election materials for 4 wards.

The governor noted that the unfortunate onslaught by the military and the SARS personnel started in the night of Friday, when the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi backed by a battalion of soldiers and over 20 SARS personnel attempted to hijack materials from the Isiokpo INEC headquarters but was resisted by the youths.

He said: “I anticipated it. I tried to let the world to know that these are the plans of the security agencies.

“In all my political career, I have never experienced this kind of invasion by security agencies. What causes violence is when you give certain persons undue advantage.

“Be assured that we are resisting it, it may take our lives, but we will resist to the last. That is what is expected when you are fighting for freedom. You must make sacrifices.

“It is unfortunate that we are congratulating the opposition for winning in Ghana, but here the military are directly involved in rigging and hijacking materials.

“They say that they want to give Rivers State Governor problems, but you are not giving Rivers State Governor problems, you are giving Nigeria problems”.