Killers storm Port Harcourt court, kill 2

Killers attacked the High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to add to the woes of the state by killing two private security operatives, as the third escaped with injuries.

The killers operated silently, avoiding use of guns apparently to avoid attracting noise. One of the victims was identified as Promise Obinna from Asa, in Abia State.

Coincidentally, the incident occurred on the day the ongoing trial of late militant leader, Soboma Goerge’s case was supposed to come up at a state High Court in Port Harcourt.

It was gathered that the victims were asleep when the bandits attacked them at about 2.30am.

Investigations revealed that the assailants came in through one of the back gates to the state judiciary complex and attacked the victims with hard objects at the upper parts of the body. Blood splattered the places and items like mosquito nets indicating that the security men were sleeping, were found there.

The chief security officer of the Judiciary, Dabotubo George, who briefed journalists on the incident, said the victims were not with gun, adding that the suspects used “axe, machete and stick” on them.

He said: “This place has been very peaceful all these years. It is just unfortunate it happened. We had tight security; 10 of them were on duty that night. There was no gunshot; the people used machetes, axe and stick to attack them.  The men did not come in through the fence; they came in through the gate”

Police public relations officers in the state, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, in an interview with newsmen, condemned the attack and killing of the victims, clarifying that what police had was Judges’ Protection Unit (JPU), and not Court Protection Unit (CPU).

Muhammad added that investigated had commenced to track down the perpetrators of the dastardly act, also confirming that gang did not kill the victims with gun.

He stated: “I can categorically dispel the insinuation that there was shooting in the court premises there was nothing like that. The victims were attacked with hard objects on upper parts of their bodies.

Shooting was heard most the night at the Port Harcourt prisons, adding to the tension in the state.