by Nurat Uthman
One suspect has been arrested by the operatives of the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Police in connection with the Tuesday explosion that led to the death of a middle-aged man in front of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
The suspect was arrested at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Tuesday night where he was brought by some individuals for treatment for injuries allegedly sustained in a road traffic accident.
Announcing the arrest, Adaeze Oreh, State Commissioner for Health said the arrest was made possible by a tip-off from the hospital where the suspect was brought for resuscitation and treatment in a semi-conscious state.
The Commissioner explained that the suspect had been resuscitated and on a stable state while the hospital environment was secured by the state police command who, she said, were working in tandem with the government and ministry on the matter.
She said; “If you recall earlier today (Tuesday), we made a call from the Rivers State government alerting all medical facilities both private and publicly owned facilities in the state about a failed attempt to detonate an explosive at the presidential axis of the state.
“The reason for that was for them to be vigilant with a heightened sense of alert and high index of suspicion, should any individual present at any of the facilities suggestive of a traumatic amputation of an upper link.”
She added; “And so, following from that call, our medical facilities in the state were on a heightened sense of alert and so when a young man was brought to the Rivers University Teaching Hospital with an injury alleged to be sustained during what was said to be a road traffic accident, the medical personnel that were on hand to examine him and offer medical care were on alert and immediately observed that the injury that were seen on this individual were not in tandem with a road traffic accident but rather resembled injuries that would have come from a blast.
“The individual was taken to the theatre for immediate resuscitation because as at the time he was brought in, he was semi-conscious. But the medical personnel did the needful and immediately informed the state government, we immediately informed the Commissioner of Police in the state and the ministry of health about the presence of that individual in that facility even when providing emergency medical care to revive and resuscitate him.”
She explained that the suspect was in a stable state, saying that the government was working in tandem with the Rivers State Police command and “so the hospital has been adequately secured, the premises and the perimeter have been fully secured. The patient is receiving treatment and is stable and the police is doing their own part with carrying out necessary investigations and so in this manner, we seek to update the public that this is the update following the earlier event today in Port Harcourt.”
She stated that of the several individuals that brought the suspect to the hospital, one was still with him but all the others escaped from the facility.
However, the state command has yet to make any comment on the arrest of the suspect.
