ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs have attacked and destroyed the secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State.
It was gathered that the secretariat was scheduled for inauguration by Senator Magnus Abe, the state SDP gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 elections, before the incident.
Abe, a former Senator representing Rivers South-East, had recently accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state of masterminding a series of attacks against his party.
A source in the community revealed that at about 6.30am on Monday, a group of youths armed with axe and machetes stormed the facility and started attacking it.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “Early on Monday, some of our people were still sleeping when we started hearing people shouting.
“Reports came that they destroyed Senator Magnus Abe’s secretariat. We went there and saw that it was true. The whole building was destroyed.”
Confirming the incident, Senator Abe, in a statement noted that the attack, like previous ones and threats to life and property, will not deter him from going ahead with his campaigns.
The statement by Abe’s spokesman, Parry Benson, read in part: “The SDP secretariat in Nonwa Tai, Tai LGA, due for inauguration today – Monday, December 26, 2022, was destroyed in the early hours of today by suspected political thugs.”
The Senator therefore called on the state Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to investigate the incident, and bring an end to escalating violence in the state.
The spokesperson of the State Police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, when contacted, said it was a clash amongst SDP members following a disagreement.
“It was a clash amongst them. But normalcy has been restored after the Commissioner of Police drafted operatives to the area.
“I think they still went ahead with their campaigns there. No arrest yet, but investigation is ongoing concerning the attack on the secretariat,” she stated.