The Rivers State Police Command has issued an official statement confirming the arrest of Chijioke Ihunwo, the State Chapter Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
His arrest stems from his alleged involvement in an attack on the residence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule on Tuesday.
According to a press release released on Wednesday, police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko has disclosed the arrest of the chairman. In addition to Ihunwo, 122 other youths have also been taken into custody.
They have all been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, for a comprehensive and thorough investigation.
The police said Ihunwo led the youths “with intent to commit a felony” and storm the Speaker’s residence “located at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, where they forcefully gained entrance into the Speaker’s Residence and maliciously damaged the gate of the house”.
“While they were carrying out their nefarious activities at the scene, a distress call was received by the control room of the command, tactical teams were immediately deployed to the scene, where one hundred and twenty-two (122) suspects, including the said Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo were arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Port Harcourt, for a discrete investigation.
“Meanwhile, the command has emplaced adequate security at the State House of Assembly Complex, including the Speaker’s House and other strategic locations/infrastructure in the state to forestall any ugly incident.”