The Rivers State Police Command has launched an investigation into two explosions that shook Port Harcourt early Saturday, coinciding with a local government election.
In a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, the police confirmed explosions at the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat and the Obio/Akpor council headquarters in Rumuodumaya.
“The first explosion occurred around 3:00 AM at the APC Secretariat on Aba Road. A security guard reported hearing a loud bang, followed by the sight of three black Toyota Hilux vans speeding away. The blast caused extensive damage, destroying the gate, shattering windows, and setting the security building on fire,” the statement read.
The second explosion took place around 3:30 AM at the Obio/Akpor Council secretariat. Eyewitnesses claimed that a black Toyota Hilux and a white Toyota Sienna van drove past the site, with the occupants throwing an object, suspected to be a stick of dynamite. The explosion damaged the roof and the generator house of the complex.
In response, police said the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit and Anti-Bomb Squad were deployed to both locations. An improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered at the APC secretariat, and incendiary materials were found in the arson of the security building.
The Command’s Explosive Ordinance Department has collected samples from both scenes and is actively investigating the incidents.
Tony Okocha, Chairman of the APC faction in Rivers State, alleged that the explosions were politically motivated and directed blame at Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Okocha recounted the attack, stating, “Around 3:20 AM, armed young men arrived, dropped explosives, and when the first one didn’t detonate, they returned to burn down the structure. The security house was destroyed, but our people managed to extinguish the fire.”
He further questioned the motive behind the attack, emphasizing that the APC secretariat was not a polling station, calling it a deliberate attempt to intimidate and embarrass the party.