Rivers State Government has indicated
that the Supervising Education Minister
Nyesom Wike, along with the leader of
the opposition lawmakers in the state
House of Assembly, Evans Bipi, might be
the ones behind today's bombing of the
State High Court at Ahoada, in Ahoada
East Local Government Area of the state.
According to eyewitnesses, the first
explosion occured at about 2 a.m. with a
shattering sound. Upon resuming work, the
registrar of the Court saw two suspicious
objects and alerted the police. However, one
of the bombs went off at the block where
the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) is located
before experts arrived.
The building was badly damaged.
Experts from the Bomb Disposal Unit then
proceeded to diffuse the second bomb also
within the premises of the High Court.
Commissioner of Information and
Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, stated
that the bombing of the Ahoada High Court
was sanctioned by the Grassroots
Development Initiative (GDI), the political
platform of Minister Nyesom Wike.
In a similar develpment, a State High Court in
Okehi was also razed down by fire in the
early hours of Monday. There was no clue as
to what caused the fire.
"We don't know what the intensions of the
arsonists are, but it may not be unconnected
with the on-going court cases in both
courts which are related to the current
political crisis in the state," Mrs. Semenitari
said.
"The bombing and arson looks like the
handiwork of people who are close to the
Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom
Wike, and the member of the House of
Assembly, representing Ogo-Bolu
Constituency, Evans Bipi," she continued.
"Members of the GDI and the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, as it is currently
constituted, are those likely to be behind
these sought of violence. You will recall that
there was an explosion at the office of the
Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru towards
the end of the year. You know also that
there was an explosion at the Abonema
Wharf last year."
Reacting to both incidents, the Attorney-
General and Commissioner of Justice, Worgu
Boms, lamented that the actions were
designed to instill fear in the judiciary.