Rivers State Government Reveals Identity of Suspected Port Harcourt Bomber

The Rivers State Government has announced the identity of the suspect in the explosion that occurred near the Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The suspect has been identified as Josiah Preye, a university graduate.

The revelation came less than 24 hours after the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, alerted management of both public and private medical facilities in the state on the identity of the suspect, injury signs, and the need to detain him if found.

Dr. Oreh stated, “Now the Rivers State Ministry of Health is calling for an alert to all medical facilities in the state, both public and privately owned facilities, to be vigilant and look out for an individual, a young man with a traumatically dismembered upper limb because this injury which was sustained will require medical attention.”

Following this call, medical facilities in the state were on a heightened sense of alert. A young man was brought to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital with an alleged injury sustained during what was said to be a road traffic accident. Medical personnel were quick to recognize the injuries as not consistent with a road traffic accident but rather resembled those that would have come from a blast.

The suspect is now stable after receiving medical attention at the facility, and the hospital premises and perimeter have been fully secured. The Rivers State Police Command is working with the Ministry of Health to ensure the safety and security of the suspect and the premises.

The Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu, while confirming the explosion, stated that following preliminary investigations, the suspect actually detonated the explosive device but did not link the incident to the protesters who were in support of the barricade of the 23 local government council secretariats of the state earlier the same day.

This incident serves as a reminder of the need for vigilance and security measures to be in place to prevent such occurrences in the future. The Rivers State Government is committed to ensuring the safety and security of its citizens and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to investigate this incident and bring those responsible to justice.