Rivers state police command has declared a state of emergency on the East-West road over incessant killings, kidnapping and robbery of commuters who ply the Choba and Mbiama stretch of the road.
Reports said that there was an attack on a popular commercial bus on the road where the driver was shot dead while 12 passengers were kidnapped.
It was gathered that sequel to the ambush on the convoy of the lawmakers from Ahoada West local government area which killed the leader of Ahoada west legislative Assembly, Ekele Cohen, Governor Nyesom Wike, vowed that the killers of the lawmaker must be fished out and that security agencies must put a stop to the insecurity on the road.
Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the spokesman of the Rivers state police command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, revealed that the command has declared a state of emergency on that stretch of the road.
He said: “We have made massive deployment of policemen, uniform and plain cloth to that axis. We have also sent men to creeks, bushes and villages to tap on intelligence gathering. We are doing everything humanly possible to forestall incessant and wanton killings of commuters and security personnel in that axis.”
It was gathered that a safety alert went viral recently in the state warning commuters to avoid plying some road where kidnap and killing usually occur.
The statement read: “Please for your safety and safety of your loved ones avoid Omagwa to Ubima and Owerri or Isiokpo to Ubima. Anything that will make you enter through Ubima going to Owerri especially from 6pm in the evening should be avoided.
“From Elele to Umudioga, Egbeda, Ubima, and Omuku road are no go areas in the evenings due to high profile kidnappings.
Another alert also read: “From Bayelsa to Port Harcourt divert to Elele Alimini to Elele Isiokpo and proceed to Port Harcourt. Avoid Elele-Ndele Rumuji-Emuoha-Choba -Port Harcourt. Please stay safe. Kidnappers are on rampage. On daily basis they practically blocked the East West Road from Elele to Emuoha axis. Stay safe.”
On the allegations that policemen who mount checkpoints were accomplices to the robberies, and kidnapping on the road, the police public relations officer said: “We are also investigating our men who have been on that axis.
“We have gone back to the drawing board to critically examine our mode of operations abd come up with acceptable lasting solutions.”
He revealed in the interview that as part of the measures taken so far, eight of the kidnapping camps and hideouts had been destroyed by policemen, adding that notable black spots along the Emohua, Ahoada West and Ahoada East local government axis have had massive deployment of policemen.
Hajiya Amina Danmusa, married to one Muftahu Yakubu Ciro, was kidnapped in Danmusa town where she and her husband lives.
