The Nigeria Police Force in Rivers State has begun an investigation into a suspected arson attack on the office of the African Democratic Congress located in Ubima, a community near Port Harcourt
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.
Reports indicate that unknown persons believed to be political thugs set fire to the ADC ward office in Ubima, which is the hometown of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi
Witnesses said the attackers allegedly mounted a blockade along the Omuma–Ubima Road, reportedly searching vehicles suspected of transporting ADC campaign materials such as banners to the community.
Iringe-Koko urged residents to remain calm, assuring them that law enforcement officers were actively working to track down those responsible for the attack.
According to her, the police have commenced a full investigation to determine the cause of the fire and identify those behind the incident.
“We received information about a fire outbreak at the ADC office in Ubima, located in **Ikwerre Local Government Area
The fire was reportedly started by some miscreants,” she said.
She explained that police officers were immediately deployed to the location after the report was received and confirmed that the building involved was indeed a political party office.
Although no casualties were recorded, the incident resulted in significant property damage
Iringe-Koko noted that detectives are still assessing the extent of the damage caused to the building and its contents.
She added that no arrests had been made so far but urged members of the public to support the investigation by providing useful information that could help identify the perpetrators.
An eyewitness who identified himself as Amadi said the attack occurred shortly before the planned visit of Rotimi Amaechi to the community for the ongoing ADC electronic membership registration exercise in the state.
According to him, the attackers arrived at the party office in the early hours of Friday and set the building on fire.
He said several items inside the office, including party documents and campaign materials, were destroyed by the blaze.
“By the time people noticed the fire, a large part of the building had already been badly damaged,” the eyewitness said.
Police say investigations are ongoing to determine those responsible for the attack and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
