By PRECIOUS IBINABO DAVIDS, Port Harcourt
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the arson perpetuated on the country home of Dr. Chidi Lloyd by unknown thugs as an act carried out by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in fulfillment of a threat made at an earlier date.
The stance of the APC was conveyed during a press conference by the Rivers State Chairman of the party, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya on Sunday at the state secretariat in Port Harcourt.
“On the 21st of September, 2016, at about 4:25pm, Hon (Dr) Chidi Julius Lloyd received a phone call from his security men in his country home AKPABU, a community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, that unknown gunmen numbering about 20 in various military camouflage stormed the community on 10 motor bikes and shot sporadically into the air, scaring members of the community and finally broke into his premises and threw dynamite into his compound housing a chapel, a hall and a two-bedroom guest house, fully furnished. The inferno that followed burnt down his personal belongings such as library and other valuables.
He went on to explain that earlier same day, Rivers State Attorney-General had boasted openly, only for the arson to take place a few hours later.
“Only on Thursday, the 21st of September, 2016 at about 10 am, the Hon. Attorney-General of Rivers State, Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN had boasted in open court that since the police, a non-party in the matter, had refused to produce Dr. Lloyd, they (the prosecution) will ensure Dr. Lloyd appears in court to take plea “their own way” and six hours later, the country home of Dr. Lloyd was bombed and razed down,” he said.
Chief Ikanya recalled that since the 2013 crisis that engulfed the RVHA, Dr. Chidi Lloyd had been subjected to all forms of threats by the PDP and agents of Rivers State Government under Gov. Nyesom Wike.
“Following the unfortunate incident in the RSHA, Dr. Lloyd was arrested, detained and charged to court for the offence of attempted murder among other charges. When the then Hon. Attorney-General, Worgu Boms Esq, in exercise of his constitutional powers, took over prosecution and eventually discontinued trial as a result of the fact that the police authorities then had made it impracticable for trial to continue as the complainant had approached the Port Harcourt division of the federal High court seeking for an order to stop the release of the case file to the HAG.
“Curiously, on May, 2016, the Hon. Attorney-General of Rivers State, Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN, filed a criminal information in the High Court of Rivers States, before Hon. Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikaran, to review the Nolle Prosequi entered by the Hon. Worgu Boms way back in 2013,” he added.
The Rivers APC Chairman noted that the trial is currently ongoing with an interlocutory order to the police to produce Dr. Chidi Lloyd to take plea even when no process was served on him.
“Arising from that development, Dr. Lloyd has since appealed the order despite all efforts by Justice Lamikaran to frustrate him from exercising his constitutional right to appeal. Subsequently, Dr. Lloyd has also petitioned the Hon. Chief Justice of the Federation and the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, NJC.
“Despite the pendency of the matter at the court of appeal, Justice Adama Laminkara has refused to stay proceedings in the matter.
“We have painstakingly drawn this graphic analogy so that it will be clear to the discerning and fair-minded Rivers people and Nigerians who the perpetrators of the arson on Dr. Chidi Lloyd’s country home are,” he narrated.
Speaking further, he said that similarly, same last week, the landed property of the State Women Leader of the APC, Evangelist Caroline Nagbo was invaded and vandalised by suspected political thugs who are now on the run.
“The APC calls on all well-meaning Nigerians including the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, the State Director, DSS and all security agencies to come to the aid of Dr. Chidi Lloyd as his life and those of his family members are in GRAVE danger just for being an APC leader in Rivers State. We urge relevant security agencies to painstakingly investigate this latest assault on Hon [Dr] Chidi Julius Lloyd to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice promptly.
In the same vein, the APC chairman said that his party has also taken notice of spate of bombings and destruction of pipelines in the Niger Delta by the Avengers and other restive groups.
“We condemn these acts of sabotage and urge the perpetrators to desist from such in order not to worsen the nation’s present economic recession,” he concluded
