Rivers 2015: Wike’s loyalists beat up commissioner, professor, others in Abuja

Pandemonium rocked the National Campaign Office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Maitama, Abuja on Thursday as suspected loyalists of the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, beat up some people suspected to be his opponent.

Punch reports that the thugs, who were in their tens, attacked their victims with dangerous weapons, such as stick, bottles and stones in order to prevent them from entering the building.

Those attacked it was gathered, were some members of the PDP from Rivers state who had come to attend a meeting of the National Integration Committee, South-South zone aimed at settling grievances among members of the party in Rivers.

Those attacked, according to the newspaper included a legal practitioner, Mr. Tabotamuno Dick; a former Commissioner for Water Resources under former Governor Peter Odili, Mr. Lolo Ibieneye; Prof. Israel Owate, Dr. Sowaribi Tolofari, Mr. Sara Egbe and Chief Bekinbo Sobrekon. Some of those attacked, it was learnt, had come to present petitions to the Senator Iya Abubakar-led committee.

Some journalists were also harassed and their cameras and tape recorders confiscated by the hoodlums.

Dick, who suffered an injury to the eye as a result of the beating, told Punch after the incident:“I came to defend the petition we sent to the committee, but see what happened here today.

“I have been beaten by thugs and these thugs were joined by the policemen attached to someone who wants to be a governor of my state. We shall wait to see.”

It was learnt that out of 22 people who brought petitions to the committee, only four were allowed to enter the building.