Peterside: Policeman killed in Okrika died defending democracy

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Dakuku Peterside, said on Saturday that Corporal Ifeanyi Okorie, laid down his life in defence of democracy in Nigeria.
Peterside, represented by his running-mate, Mr Okorie Asita, made the remark in Port Harcourt, when a delegation of the APC leadership visited Mrs Gift Ifeanyi, wife of the policeman, who was killed at Okrika on February 18.
He said the APC never thought that this could even happen– that opponents would hire thugs to disrupt APC rally in Okrika, leading to the death of the policeman.
“Your husband laid down his life for the sake of peace in this country and for our sake. We did not expect this to happen, we had gone to other Local Government Areas to campaign and we never had this ugly experience.
“As you are mourning, all of us are crying as we owe him a depth of gratitude because it could have been any of us if he was not there.”
He said as a people, the party had come to assure the family that they were not alone in pain.
“Your husband laid down his life defending democracy, he died fighting to maintain peace, he died securing us and we cannot forget that in a hurry.”
Peterside said the party had seen the little children Okorie left behind, adding “we are all parents here, so we understand the pressure his death would expose you to’’.
He said that children needed their parents, not just their parents’ money and they needed their parents to be alive and answer their questions in life.
“Children always want to live like their parents; they feel their parents know it all, so they ask all manner of questions.
‘’Your husband laid down his life defending democracy, he died fighting to maintain peace, he died securing us and we cannot forget that in a hurry.’’
Peterside said the death of Okorie would not stop the children from realizing their destiny as they would benefit from the state government’s scholarship.
Gift thanked the party men for visiting and appreciating the pains she would face raising four children.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in-charge of Zone 6, Mr Johnson Ogunsakin, has pledged to uncover and prosecute those behind the killing of the policeman.
Ogunsakin, who described the death of the policeman as sad and painful, said everything possible would be done to unmask the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The AIG told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the death of the “gallant officer” would spur him to “go to the root of what happened so that his death would not be in vain.”
Ogunsakin said he was in the state on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the attack.
“There is no time limit for this investigation but I assure you, it is going to be a thorough investigation as we will cover all the grounds,” he said.
According to him, he has gotten the cooperation of all the major political actors mentioned with regards to the incident.
The AIG said he would summon an enlarged meeting of Okrika people, cutting across political parties, religious bodies, traditional rulers and youth groups.
Ogunsakin said the police had engaged relevant stakeholders to ensure that such incident did not occur again in any part of the state.