Bombed All-Peoples Party (APP) secretariat located in Tombia Extension, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt

*Involved in high-profile bank robberies to be charged to court.

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt 

The Rivers State Police Command has identified one Preye Josiah, 40, a serial bank robber, as the suspect who allegedly detonated explosive suspected to be dynamite around Hotel Presidential Axis of Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway on June 25, 2024, has been on the Police wanted list.

The arrested suspect who sustained serious bodily injuries and has since been undergoing treatment has been identified as Preye Josiah, alias Metusah, a native of the Kabiama Community of Sagbama Local Government area of Bayelsa State.

SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the Spokesperson for the Rivers Police Command who revealed this in a signed press statement said the Command was updating the public on the two bombings that had occurred in Port Harcourt between June 25, 2024 to date.

She said that investigations revealed that Preye Josiah has been on the Police wanted list for participating in some high-profile bank robberies led by one Daniel Gogo, alias Full Payment, between 2012 and 2016, where three AK47 rifles, a Lar rifle, 360 rounds of live ammunition, 20 magazines, five dynamites, two pistols, a rifle servicing equipment, and three exotic cars were recovered in Bayelsa State by Operatives of the then IGP-IRT.

The command also said that Preye, who was evasive to Police arrest, was identified as the dynamite detonating expert of the gang. The suspect had also informed operatives of the Command that the explosion was a result of a dynamite. He is a member of the Vikings Confraternity. Efforts are still ongoing to arrest others involved in the crime.

Police said that Preye, who has undergone three major surgeries and has made a significant recovery, will soon be charged to a Court of competent jurisdiction after the investigations are completed.

The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, urged members of the public to be vigilant when such cases of explosion occur and to steer clear of the vicinity, as there is a tendency for another device to be present.

Also giving details about the  August 12th, 2024, bombing of the All Peoples Party Secretariat in Port Harcourt, the Police said that at approximately 12:30 am, the Rivers State Police Command received a distress call reporting a loud explosion at the All-Peoples Party (APP) secretariat located in Tombia Extension, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt.

The Command further said that the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, and a team of tactical units with experts from the Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD/Anti-Bomb) Squad were immediately mobilized to the scene to assess the situation. The team cordoned off the area and commenced Explosive Ordinance Disposal Procedures and search operations.

“The Command’s EOD experts identified a crater created in front of the building where the device was placed, causing shockwaves and damaging the glass of the windows and doors.

“Eyewitness accounts around the time the explosion was heard revealed that a car had been parked a few meters from the APP Secretariat, and two men had alighted from the car, walked to the building, and ignited the suspected device before throwing it at the secretariat. They then re-entered the vehicle and drove off”.

According to the Police the discovery of a crater and other pieces of evidence, as well as eyewitness accounts, indicate the detonation of an explosive device. Thankfully, no loss of life was recorded, but damage was done to the front of the building. Samples from the site of the explosion have been taken for further forensic investigation. Operatives of the Command have been detailed to intensify efforts to investigate and apprehend all suspects involved in this incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, urges members of the public to be vigilant when such cases of explosion occur and to steer clear of the vicinity, as there is a tendency for another device to be present.

In the event of an explosion or suspicions of one, the public is advised to call the police on the following numbers:

08036219523

0803200351