GUNMEN INVADE RIVERS' DEP. SPEAKER'S HOME

GUNMEN suspected to be assassins on Thursday night invaded the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Charles Befii Nwile, in Port Harcourt.

It was learnt that six gunmen barged into the Deputy Speaker\'s residence at Amadi Flat, at about 8.30 p.m. The suspected assassins, who arrived the house in an Infinity Jeep, were said to have disarmed a police guard at the gate before gaining entrance into the house.

A source close to the Nwile\'s family explained that the bandits demanded to see the Deputy Speaker\'s wife and were told that both she and her husband were not at home. Infuriated by the absence of the couple, the gunmen opted to seize the police guard\'s AK 47 riffle.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Sagir Musa, who confirmed the incident said: \"They were suspected assassins who went to the Deputy Speaker\'s residence at Amadi Flat at about 8:30pm but did not meet him. No one was shot but they made away with a police guard\'s weapon. The JTF and police are on their trail.\"

Gunmen had in October kidnapped Mr. Lawrence Nwile, the 70-year-old father of the lawmaker, from his native Bane community in Khana local council area of the state. He was released after 10 days in captivity.

In another incident, gunmen robbed a commercial bank in Bonny yesterday while a bullion van conveying cash from Aba to the Central Bank in Port Harcourt was attacked and four police escorts severely injured.

Sources in Bonny told us that the bandits stormed the bank at about 11am and shot their way into the banking hall where a huge amount of money was later carted away. Three persons were shot. The robbers escaped through the creeks.

Similarly, armed robbers attacked a bullion van close to Obehe, in Abia State. Four policemen escorting the bullion van to the Central Bank in Port Harcourt were injured. The gunmen riddled the bullion van with bullets and made away with an unspecified amount of money.