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| Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu. File photograph taken in 2019. Emmalegend / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu has directed security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible for attacking Peter Obi’s convoy in Calabar, where police have detained one suspect and begun searching for others.
Otu condemned the violence in a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Linus Obogo, on Thursday, 5 November. He expressed sympathy with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate and members of his entourage.
The governor said his administration would protect the right of political actors to campaign and engage voters peacefully. He warned that those responsible for violence would face prosecution regardless of their political affiliations.
According to the statement reported by Channels Television, Otu instructed security agencies to pursue everyone involved in the attack. He said intimidation and criminal conduct had no place in political activities in the state.
The incident occurred at about 2.20 p.m. on Wednesday, 4 November, around Watt Market Roundabout. Obi’s convoy was travelling from the palace of the Obong of Calabar to Metropolitan Hotel, where the party had scheduled a presidential town hall meeting.
Police said men reportedly carrying machetes and sticks emerged from the Calabar Road and Clerks Alley area and attacked vehicles in the convoy. Some windscreens sustained damage, although investigators had yet to establish how many vehicles were affected.
Obi accused supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of responsibility and warned against allowing violence to disrupt the 2027 elections. Investigators had not established the attackers’ political affiliations.
The Cross River State Government subsequently denied APC involvement. In a separate statement dated 5 November, Commissioner for Information and Orientation Ekpenyong Ene Cobham challenged those making the allegation to provide evidence linking party members to the incident. He also called for an investigation to establish responsibility.
The police command’s account said officers deployed tear gas to disperse the attackers. They arrested Victor Edet Yellow Duke, 27, while other suspected participants escaped.
Operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit transferred Duke to the State Police Headquarters for investigation. The command said the transfer also sought to prevent reprisals and further disturbances.
Commissioner of Police Ajo Geoffrey Ordue ordered investigators to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack and identify other people involved.
The command cautioned that the arrest did not establish the suspect’s guilt, stressing that he remained entitled to the presumption of innocence while investigations and any subsequent court proceedings continued.
Police said order had returned to the affected area. The command also assured political parties and their supporters that officers would provide equal security protection irrespective of political affiliation.