Dakuku Peterside: escapes assassination

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA narrowly escaped death Sunday afternoon after his vehicle was attacked by gunmen in two SUVs on his way from the Port Harcourt International Airport.

Sylvester Asoya, Special Assistant to Peterside on Media narrated the sequence of the botched assassination attempt:

“Peterside who was in his car with Chief [Dr] Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, Rivers State All Progressives Congress, APC Chairman and Hon. H.O. Asita, Deputy Governorship candidate of the APC in April 2015 election said they escaped the assassins bullets by a stroke of luck.

“Two Jeeps belonging to Emeka Woke, Nyesom Wike’s Chief of Staff carrying two unknown gunmen trailed us to UTC Junction and opened fire on my car. Our car however did a detour to  first Aba Road then old GRA with the two jeeps still trailing us. We drove to the DSS office  to seek refuge  and on getting to the gate the  unknown gunmen opened fire again  at the SSS men on guard.

“The exchange of fire between the DSS men and the assailants lasted for more than 30 minutes. In the course of exchange of fire my Police detail Cpl Emma Esi was shot at and seriously injured .  This is a very ugly experience but I thank God that my colleagues and I escaped unhurt”.

“When the DSS men demobilised the two jeeps we found out that the man at the back of the car who was ostensibly identifying us to the assailants is Wike’s Chief of staff, Emeka Woke . He has been arrested by the DSS .

“Today’s experience is not only terrifying but also shows the parlous state of security in Rivers State. If I can be engaged openly by gunmen for nearly an hour in the heart of Port Harcourt, only God knows the fate that will befall members of our party and those sympathetic to our predicament. What is happening today in our dear state is not only horrible but also constitutes serious national security risk.”

Peterside who was Wike’s opponent in last year’s governorship election in Rivers State added that it is now evident that the governor wants to kill him and that he is prepared to do everything possible to eliminate him.