Gershom Bassey, the senator representing Southern Senatorial District in Cross River State at the National Assembly, has asserted that what happened in Calabar was an invasion.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday, November 8, 2020, in Calabar when his constituents and major political stakeholder visited to commiserate with on the destruction of his property he said no other city experienced half of the destruction that was witnessed in Cross River.
His words:” people came to express solidarity with me over what happened to me with the attack on my house and also the attack on my family building. I appreciate them. My message for them is that tomorrow will be better than today.
“On the level of destruction in the state; I have visited to see the level of it in Tinapa and CICC. I have seen one or two other buildings, I told them, the destruction goes beyond any protest or anything like that; almost a hundred building across the state had been hit. In a period of about five hours or a little more,” he said He added that no other city in the country was hit like Calabar stressing that the target was the Paradise city and not him as a person.
“It was a planned invasion of Calabar, the capital city of the state. If you can have an invasion of that magnitude into Calabar, a territory of Nigeria, there must be a problem and it must be investigated. “We must get to the root of it. We must know what really happened on that day and we must get to know who are those behind it. It was serious and I think that the destruction in Calabar is doubled what happened in Lagos.
“Calabar is the worst victim of the recent insecurity challenge in the country. It is important that the Federal government supports the state government in getting to the bottom of it so that it would not occur, ever again.
“I am calling for an investigation; be it judicial panel of inquiry or whatever kind. The state and federal government should decide. But this matter goes beyond the state government. The state must collaborate with the federal to get to the root of this issue.
“You can’t have an invasion into a city and in five hours, over a hundred buildings were attacked and destroyed. There is a problem and something has really happened. “It was planned, it was premeditated and Calabar was the target, not Gershom Bassey. Calabar was the target. So we need to get to the root of it.
“At the national level, I intend to take it before the floor of the senate as soon as we resume. At the moment we are working on the budget. I will take by way of a motion before the floor of the senate.
“I will call for a massive investigation, and all security arms and agencies must be involved and they must root out who planned this thing against Calabar? 100 buildings in Calabar, no! something is wrong. It’s a serious problem,” he said.
On his part, Former House of Assembly member, Ani Offiong Ani, said the attack on government and private property was enormous and very demonic stressing that what happened within six hours was worse than what he experienced as a boy during the civil war.
“We are here honestly to sympathize with him, the destructions are enormous, I was a very young boy during the civil war, I spent my time in Biafra, I saw the level of destruction but I have not seen anything so devastating like I have seen now, it’s so unfortunate but all I want to say is that there is time for everything.
“Gershom have passed through this fate like some other because there is time for everything, he has suffered this fate now but I tell you in no time we will get over it. We are sure we will get over it.
As it stands now this particular incident that has happened to him will spur him up to greater height “We are here to encourage him and all Cross Riverians.
happened in Cross River state was like a demonic attack and we pray that nothing like this should ever happen again,” he said.
Source: Vanguard
