The suspect involved in the June 25 dynamite explosion at the Rivers State-owned Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt had been on the police “Wanted List” before the incident occurred. The explosion took place during a protest over the tenure of local government chairmen in the state.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the police command, revealed on Sunday that the suspect, Preye Josiah, had been wanted by the authorities prior to the explosion.
Josiah, 40, from Kabiama community in Sagbama Local Government Area, detonated the improvised explosive device (IED) along the Port Harcourt–Aba Expressway, injuring himself in the process. He was later apprehended at a hospital where medical staff recognized him while he sought treatment for his injuries.
Iringe-Koko disclosed that Josiah has been implicated in multiple armed robberies across the state between 2012 and 2016, including high-profile bank heists led by a notorious criminal known as Daniel Gogo, alias Full Payment. Josiah was identified as the dynamite expert for the robbery gang and a member of the Vikings Confraternity.
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He has since confessed to detonating the dynamite at the Port Harcourt–Aba Expressway.
The police are actively pursuing leads to identify Josiah’s accomplices and the sponsors behind the explosion.
In a related development, the police provided updates on the August 5 bombing of the Action Peoples Party (APP) secretariat in GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt. According to Iringe-Koko, two men planted and detonated an IED at the secretariat around 1 a.m. on that day.
Investigations revealed that the suspects exited a vehicle, ignited the device, and threw it at the building before driving off.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad later found a crater at the site, indicating the location where the device was placed, which caused shockwaves and damaged the building. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, and samples of the IED residue have been collected for forensic analysis.
Iringe-Koko assured that the police command is intensifying efforts to apprehend those responsible for the attack.