The political crisis rocking Rivers State deepened at the weekend following a violent attack on the Sole Administrator of Ahoada East Local Government Area, Mr. Goodluck Iheamnacho, who was allegedly beaten and forced to sign a resignation letter by suspected political thugs.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, revealing that the council’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Mr. Hector Ekeakita, and the Chief of Staff led the hoodlums to the secretariat where the administrator was assaulted.
Spokesperson of the Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed that about 30 hoodlums stormed the secretariat on Friday, June 20, at about 1:40pm and subjected Iheamnacho to brutal physical assault before coercing him into signing a resignation letter.
“During the attack, the hoodlums assaulted the sole administrator, stole his mobile phones, forced him to sign a letter purporting his resignation, and carted away vital documents, including official and personal files,” Iringe-Koko said.
The incident came to public attention shortly after a purported resignation letter from Iheamnacho surfaced online.
The letter, dated June 20 and addressed to the Rivers State sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, claimed that Iheamnacho had willingly stepped down from office.
However, a viral video showing a man resembling the council boss being assaulted cast doubts on the letter’s authenticity.
In an interview with Nigeria Info 92.3 FM in Port Harcourt, Iheamnacho confirmed he was attacked and urged the public to disregard the letter, describing it as a product of intimidation and coercion.
“I was attacked in my office. The letter was not my decision. I remain the sole administrator of Ahoada East,” he said, while recovering from injuries sustained in the incident.
In contrast, the CSO, Mr. Ekeakita, in a separate interview with the same radio station, denied the assault and maintained that Iheamnacho had willingly resigned from his position.
The Rivers Police Command has since summoned both Ekeakita and the council’s Chief of Staff to report at the police headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, for interrogation.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, who visited the scene alongside heads of other security agencies, condemned the attack and warned of dire consequences for anyone who refuses to honour the police invitation.
“The Rivers State Police Command unequivocally condemns this reprehensible act and has taken swift action to investigate. We are resolute in our pursuit of justice, and any attempt to obstruct the investigation will attract serious consequences,” Iringe-Koko stated.
The incident is the latest in a string of politically charged developments in Rivers State, where governance at the local government level has been marred by rising tension, administrative disputes, and allegations of forceful takeovers.
As investigations continue, civil rights groups and political observers have called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to urgently address the growing unrest and restore order to the state’s fragile local government system.
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