Ademola Busayo 
The Rivers State Police Command has been urged to commence a thorough investigation into what family and community leaders describe as a targeted assassination attempt on the life of the Kasimene VII of the Ancient Bangha Kingdom in Khana Local Government Area, King Suanu T. Y. Baridam.
We learnt that the monarch was wounded on Sunday night while returning from a peace mission in Okwale town, authorities said.
In a statement on Monday, Prof. L. C. Micah, spokesman for the King’s palace, detailed how the incident unfolded along the Okwale‑Taabaa Road.
“Again, Sunday, January 25, 2026, another attempt on the King (was made) while returning from a peace mission in Okwale town,” Prof. Micah said.
He added that assassins ambushed and struck him forcibly in the thigh, causing severe blood loss.
The statement highlighted that King Baridam is no stranger to assault and has survived multiple attempts on his life.
“On Saturday, October 5, 2024, there was an unprovoked assassination attempt on him in Agbochia, Eleme Local Government Area,” the palace spokesman said, underscoring growing concern over peaceful coexistence in the state.
Prof. Micah described the latest attack as “a dastardly crime against a monarch merely performing his traditional and constitutional duties.”
He added that speculation about a conspiracy surrounding the incident stems from “an impassioned and often inflammatory chieftaincy discourse in Nyo Khana.”
“It is unfortunate that the world has become used to bad news from Ogoni but no one, in his or her wildest imagination would have thought that Khana people would descend so low as to engineer the calculated attempted murder of an innocent and courageous King,” he said.
The palace warned that such violence and ethnic hatred must be avoided and are alarming indicators of Ogoni’s continuing slide into violence.
Prof. Micah appealed directly to the police and other security agencies to conduct an independent security review and take decisive action.
“The police must ensure that those responsible for this crime are brought to justice,” he charged.
Civil Society Joins Condemnation
In a strong reaction, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC‑Nigeria) condemned the attack as heinous and cowardly.
In a statement, YEAC‑Nigeria’s Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the assault was not only against the monarch, but “an affront to the traditional institution in Rivers State and a threat to the peace of Bangha Kingdom, Khana, Ogoni, and the Niger Delta region as a whole.”
“We demand a thorough investigation into the incident, and call on the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Dr Fyneface also urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to ensure adequate security for the King upon recovery and for all citizens in the state
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Ayo Marvel 
Emmanuel Femi Adedayo 
