THE leader of the five anti-Rotimi Amaechi lawmaker, Mr. Evans Bipi, has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to immediately arrest of the Majority Leader of Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Chidi Lloyd, over his conduct in the House on Tuesday.
Lloyd was seen in a video hitting a member representing Obio/Akpor State Constituency II, Mr. Michael Chinda, during a free-for-all in the chambers of the state House of Assembly.
But Bipi, who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview on Thursday, said Lloyd must be arrested, prosecuted and made to pay for his aggression against a fellow lawmaker.
Describing Lloyd’s battering of Chinda as evil and barbaric, Bipi warned that such an act could repeat itself in future if nothing was done to address the matter.
He said, “We will not allow the matter to be swept under the carpet because this is an attempted murder. I have called the Inspector General of Police to arrest Chidi Lloyd and prosecute him for using a mace to hit my colleague.”
Though efforts to reach Lloyd was unsuccessful, the Media Assistant to the Speaker, Mr. Jim Okpiki, told The PUNCH that the Majority Leader acted out of anger, having been hit several times by some of the five lawmakers.
Okpiki explained that the internal recording system in the chambers of the House of Assembly was damaged by the five lawmakers to prevent anybody from noticing that they were the first aggressor.
Okpiki maintained that the video clip that showed Lloyd hitting Chinda was edited, adding that the area where some of the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers slapped Lloyd was removed.
On the call on the Inspector General of Police to arrest the Majority Leader of the House, Okpiki argued that the five lawmakers, who brought a fake mace into the chambers, should also be arrested.
“What happened was that Chidi Lloyd was showing his anger because some of the five lawmakers had earlier attacked him (Lloyd). The recording system could not capture it because the five lawmakers had destroyed it.
“It showed that they had planned everything before they came into the House. Lloyd Ws hit with a camera tripod. The video clip that is being shown everywhere was edited and we are all falling for it.
“If they are calling for Lloyd’s arrest and prosecution, the five lawmakers who brought a fake mace should also be arrested,” Okpiki added.
Meanwhile, calm has returned to Port Harcourt after the clash between pro and anti-Amaechi supporters at the gate of the State House of Assembly and the Government House.
While the State Secretariat, which was almost empty after 12.30pm on Wednesday has become lively and bubbling with activities, the State House of Assembly complex still remained under lock and key.
Apart from policemen that were on guard at the gate of the House of Assembly, staff decided to stay away following the decision of the National Assembly to take over the affairs of the House.
