Former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, came under attack on Friday when suspected hoodlums targeted his convoy in Ubima community, Rivers State.
The incident occurred as Amaechi arrived in his hometown to register as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Security operatives quickly intervened to contain the situation as sporadic gunshots were heard in the area.
The incident created panic and heightened tension in the community, but security personnel eventually restored calm.
Reacting to the development, Amaechi commended the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, as well as officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their professionalism and cooperation in providing security.
“I want to commend the Commissioner of Police and the Director of DSS for their cooperation. They showed a lot of professionalism. Immediately I made contact with them, and they responded.In fact, I wasn’t expecting that kind of cooperation. he said.
Amaechi noted that the presence of security agencies helped to prevent the situation from escalating further.
“But all of us will agree that the police came out, the NSCDC came out, and the DSS also came out. So we are grateful to them, especially those of them who are here,” he added.
The former Rivers State governor, however, stressed that those responsible for the attack must be prosecuted to prevent a recurrence.
“They must also know that this cannot continue. The way they will demonstrate that this cannot continue is by prosecuting those involved in this crime. I have been a governor and I know the consequences of not protecting the lives of people. People will begin to protect their lives themselves because they don’t want to die,” he said.
Amaechi urged residents and his supporters to remain calm and peaceful despite the incident, while again thanking the police, DSS and NSCDC for their response.
