Well, yesterday the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Otelema Dan
Amachree directed that the House be reconvened to consider an amendment
to the 2013 appropriation law which the Governor had communicated to him
via a letter and as if Mr. Speaker saw what was going to happen today,
he wrote a letter through the Clerk of the House to the Commissioner of
Police to provide security for today’s sitting and he also wrote to the
commander of 2 Amphibious Brigade who also doubles as the head of the
internal JTF. So when we got to work this morning, we saw the presence
of policemen numbering over 50 and we thought that this was in response
to Mr. Speaker’s request.
Shortly thereafter, I noticed that the five anti-Amaechi members were
discussing in clusters and calling on their boys to come in. Initially,
the policemen were searching everybody who would come into the
premises. I had to even come down at the gate and trekked into the
premises. So after a while, we learnt that there were phone calls and
the commissioner of police personally called the unit, the man in charge
to allow everybody in.
We went in as members who have not seen ourselves for sometime
because of the crisis in the state. I was on my seat, without
provocation, Hon. Evans Bipi came to me in the full glare of everybody
on camera and started raining punches on me. As his leader I did not
react because I felt that it is something we could settle, whatever it
is, maybe I didn’t greet him also. So he continued when that continued,
the speaker intervened and said, ha, what’s happening. Then he reached
out for the tripod that stands the camera, used it freely on me, himself
and Michael Okechukwu Chinda. They flogged me to their satisfaction, I
didn’t just utter a word until Hon. Ihunwo graciously asked me to run
for my dear life because they have brought people with guns and of
course when I looked at the gallery they were shouting who is the Chidi
Lloyd, who is the Chidi Lloyd.
So at that point, I’m sure somebody may have reached out to the
governor of the state who came in with his own security because these
other policemen were there standing helplessly, watching what was going
on. So he came and rescued members out of the place. Then after a while
we heard that they had sat, that they were meeting, they were trying to
meet, they had procured a fake mace to the House, so we went back and I
took the mace where they were sitting, then I sustained injury as a
result of the violence by Michael Chinda and Evans Bipi.
So while I was in the hospital the speaker and other members of the
House sat and heard the amendment that the governor sent, was presented
on his behalf by the deputy governor. Now these amendments are, the
governor said he was just seeking for us to via some sub heads for him
to enable him take care of certain unforeseen events such as flood and
all that. That is why we went to work for the state only to be dealt
with in the manner that they have dealt with us. I want to use this
opportunity while in the hospital here, I have received phone calls of
threat to life for my family and I.
Incidentally, I’m so helpless, I don’t know who to run to. I can’t go
to the commissioner of police because he is already in the arena, he’s
already on the other side. I’m appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to
pray for me and my family. That is the last hope we have resorted to and
that we also urge the National Assembly, the Senate President and the
Speaker of the House of Reps not to turn the other way on the events of
Rivers State. This could lead to something that we cannot imagine. It
had happened in Anambra State, people were laughing, today is Rivers
State nobody knows the next state it would be. If we are practising a
democracy, let us please for crying out loud play by the rules.
Nigerians should pray for me and come to our aid. The state is under
siege. You can’t even vouch for the safety of the Governor. The people
are getting more dashed out on a daily basis.
