A wave of outrage has trailed a disturbing incident in Rivers State where the Sole Administrator of Ahoada East Local Government Area, Goodluck Iheamnacho, was violently attacked by thugs who flogged him with cutlasses and compelled him to sign a resignation letter under duress.
In a viral video circulated on Facebook, the administrator was seen being brutalized by a group of men inside what appeared to be the council secretariat. One of the assailants barked orders at him to “sign immediately,” while another victim lay beside him, raising his hands in apparent surrender.
The video showed Iheamnacho, who was appointed on April 11, 2025, tied up and whipped repeatedly as he was coerced into signing the resignation letter dated June 20 and addressed to the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas.
The letter, which cited a desire to “return to the private sector,” thanked the Rivers State Government and the people of Ahoada East for the opportunity to serve, although it erroneously stated his service ended on July 20 — a date still in the future.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Friday, and has since sparked condemnation from across the state.
Confirming the assault, the Rivers State Police Command said over 30 hoodlums were involved in the attack. In a statement on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, described the act as “reprehensible,” disclosing that the attackers carted away vital documents and personal items from the administrator’s office.
“The hoodlums, led by Hector Ekakita, who doubles as the Chief Security Officer and Chief of Staff to the Sole Administrator, not only assaulted the victim but also stole his mobile phones and forced him to sign a resignation letter,” the statement said.
Iringe-Koko added that Iheamnacho is currently receiving medical attention and is in a stable condition.
She said the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, has visited the scene alongside heads of other security agencies and has ordered Ekakita and all those involved to report to the State Police Headquarters for questioning.
Iheamnacho was one of 23 sole administrators appointed by Mr. Ibas, following the federal government’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State in April.
The emergency rule, declared by President Bola Tinubu, came with the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period, triggering a restructuring of the state’s administrative apparatus.
The latest assault raises fresh questions about the breakdown of law and order in the oil-rich state amid the ongoing political crisis.
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