The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned what it described as the “massive killing” of its members especially in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area (ONELGA). 
In a statement released yesterday by Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the party, the APC also accused the Nigerian police of woeful failure “to provide security for the people of the area.”
Mr. Ikanya stated that suspected members of a local cult group known as Icelanders were behind last Friday’s invasion of Omoku and surrounding communities “where they picked on selected houses of APC members and murdered some of the occupants.” According to him, at least, 26 people were shot dead, with some of them beheaded.
He alleged that the homicidal began early evening and lasted till 10 p.m., and accused the police of failing to respond to calls for help “until the killers [had] finished their dastardly mission and left with some of the heads of those they killed.”
The APC chairman decried a statement by the Rivers State Police Command that blamed the killings on an alleged fight between rival cult groups. “This is the most bizarre statement to come out of the Police because they have not, to this moment, named the suspected cult groups,” said Mr. Ikanya. He wondered how the police arrived at their conclusion and challenged them to name the suspected cult groups and their masterminds. He also asked why the police did not “respond to SOS calls from victims and neighbors for the over five hours the killings took place on different streets of Omoku.”
The APC chairman declared that the state police command had resorted to drawing hasty conclusions either to hide their incompetence or protect the sponsors of the killers.
According to Mr. Ikanya, the APC had recently petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of Police, and the Minister of the Interior, among other government officials, about the threat to the lives of the people of ONELGA. The party added that its members in Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas had also petitioned government officials, forwarding detailed information about the victims of recent killings in their areas as well as the identities of the suspects. “Sadly, there appears to be no response on the part of the police and others to take necessary investigative action, at least, to unveil and prosecute those behind the killings in order to avert future occurrence,” Mr. Ikanya stated.
The APC recalled that the party had issued a press release on January 14, 2016 warning about a plan to kill its members in ONELGA, adding that the plan was hatched by members of Icelander cult group and their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) collaborators at the home of “one Igwe Ejima Dibia alias Don Wannie at Aligu village in ONELGA.” The APC added that several party leaders, including a ward chairman, Mr. Owotor,
Monday Eleanya, were soon killed, adding that the murders were followed by “the orgy of killings” in Omoku.
Mr. Ikanya urged President Buhari ensure protection for the besieged people of ONELGA, adding that the government’s primary purpose “is the protection of lives and property of the citizens.”
The APC called for the instant sack of leaders of any security agencies that fail to rise to the task of protecting peoples’ lives and property of the people. The party’s statement also urged the Presidency, the Minister of the Interior, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and other public officials “to take urgent steps to stem the ongoing unrestrained killings that have turned [Rivers State] into a shameful killing field.”