Police Arrest 27-Year-Old Over Obi Convoy Attack

The Police Command in Cross River have arrested a 27-year-old man, Victor Duke, over alleged attack on the convoy of Mr Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), in Calabar.

The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Calabar.

Eitokpah said the incident occurred at about 2:20 p.m. around Watt Market Roundabout as Obi’s convoy returned from the palace of the Obong of Calabar.

He said the convoy was heading to Metropolitan Hotel, venue of the NDC presidential town hall meeting, when suspected hoodlums allegedly attacked some vehicles.

According to him, the assailants, armed with machetes and sticks, emerged from the Calabar Road and Clerks Alley axis and smashed the windshields of some vehicles.

He said the exact number of vehicles affected was yet to be ascertained.

“The swift intervention of police personnel deployed around the area led to the arrest of one suspect, while other suspected attackers fled the scene,” he said.

The police spokesperson said tear gas was deployed to contain the situation and prevent further escalation.

He said that operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit subsequently moved the suspect to the State Police Headquarters for discreet investigation.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ajo Ordue, has directed a thorough investigation to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the attack.

The command, however, cautioned that the arrest did not establish the suspect’s guilt, as he remained entitled to the presumption of innocence.

It assured political parties, candidates, and their supporters of equal security protection, irrespective of political affiliation.

The command also urged residents to remain calm and refrain from circulating unverified information, adding that normalcy had been restored around the Watt Market axis.