The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Edision Ehie, recounted a terrifying armed attack on his residence by unidentified gunmen late Sunday night, alleging a likely assassination attempt due to his refusal to support a plot to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Addressing reporters in Port Harcourt the following Monday, Ehie narrated the harrowing ordeal, detailing the armed assailants’ attempt to forcibly enter his premises and the subsequent shootout that ensued, endangering the lives of his family.
Expressing his resolve to stand firm against any wrongful act, Ehie maintained that his refusal to join in the impeachment plans against Governor Fubara had made him a target of powerful individuals, evident in the armed attack on his home.
Ehie, representing Ahoada East Constituency 2, described the distressing event, emphasizing how the armed intrusion had profoundly affected his entire household, leaving his wife and two children traumatized and unable to resume their normal routines.
Recounting the intense ordeal that unfolded late at night, Ehie stated, “Yesterday around 11 pm, I had closed the engagement, I moved upstairs, and we had put the children to bed and I was interacting with my wife when we got alerted by security men attached to me that there was an attempted invasion by men in mufti and some in uniform.”
Expressing his gratitude for the swift response of his security personnel in repelling the assailants, he acknowledged their efforts in thwarting the armed attack, preventing potential harm to his family and himself.
Attributing the attack to the ongoing political tensions in the state, Ehie expressed dismay that those targeting him also attempted to associate him with the tragic murder of the Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada, the late SP Bako Angbanshin, citing it as part of the orchestrated attempts to discredit him.
The Speaker’s defiance against the alleged political pressure and the life-threatening intrusion into his residence serves as a stark reminder of the escalating tensions within Rivers State politics, underscoring the lengths some may go to influence or intimidate key figures in the political landscape.
