By Emmanuel Nlewedum
Candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC, in the Rivers South East Senatorial District re-run election, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has urged the people of his constituency especially the Ogonis to understand that the incessant killings in the area is in no way beneficial to them but aimed at exterminating themselves.
Abe while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday said the continuous attack on innocent citizens especially members of the APC has immensely affected social and economic activities in the area as residence are now fleeing the area for safety of their lives.
He also condemned the recent assassination of Dr. Vincent Eebee, a lecturer at the Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori by unknown gunmen.
“The state of killings, murder, assassinations and the reckless desecration of lives across my senatorial district, the Rivers South East Senatorial District unwarranted,
“These things are being done in order to turn Ogoni into a killing field so that we will exterminate ourselves and bring happiness to our enemies and our detractors. The people who are sponsoring these killers, the people who are giving them these powers to do this in broad daylight do not mean well for us.
“As we speak now, Bori is virtually a ghost town, once its a few minutes to the evening, people are terrified in their houses. They can’t come out, particularly members of the APC. As the capital of our senatorial district, no member of the APC can freely move around in Bori or freely voice their membership of the APC. They do that at the risk of their lives. Several others who are not prominent people like Dr. Vincent Eebee have been murdered simply for being members of the APC.
“If you go to Eleme Local Government Area, the same thing is going on, by 4:00pm most of the shops are closed, people are running inside their houses. The question everybody is asking is who is going to be the next? And that was the exact question that Dr Eebee asked in this very compound a few days before he was executed.
“We cannot and we should not allow ourselves to be deceived into killing one another in order to impress any pay masters. The truth is that, the people who are doing these things are criminals, they are murderers and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria exist to take care of these kinds of situations.
“As you are all aware, just a few days ago, one of my very close friends, one of my very strong allies, a committed champion of the people, a great man , an intelligent human being who has contributed so much to the mentorship and development of other lives in the state, late Dr. Vincent Eebee was brutally murdered in very, very painful circumstances. He was a lecturer at the Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic Bori. He was pursued from the Polytechnic Bori in broad day light, he had a student with him in the car that he was giving a ride to Port Harcourt.
“They chased them shooting at them all through. The sound of gunfire was all over the place and he kept running. They blew out the tires, they were raining bullets on the car and he finally drove into his community, Yeghe, drove up to the Centre of the community by the church and he was already injured, he staggered out of the car and these people chased him through with the same Camry that was used to kill Dangbese the other day and killed him. When he fell they went up to him and executed him.
“These have been the kind of things that had been going on across the state and particularly in Ogoni land. It is unfortunate that these things go on and they are unchallenged by anybody. I have asked all our supporters to remain calm. I have asked them to do all they can to protect themselves and Dr. Eebee did try to avoid the kind of situation that will lead to this kind of thing but in the face of his best efforts, these killers pursued him and executed him in broad day light in the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
He therefore called on the security agencies to do all it could to stop these killings and restore sustainable peace to the area.
He further appeal to his supporters and the people of Ogoni not to take the laws into your hands and urged them to remain calm.
