Security operatives in Rivers State on Friday sealed a hotel, bar and a filling station in Port Harcourt.
Also, some passersby and staff of the facilities were arrested.
The affected facilities are Preray Hotel at Eagle Island, Priscy’s Bar in Elekahia and Mega Tool Filling Station along Ojoto Street in the Diobu axis, all in the state metropolis.
However, this sudden development came after the state Governor, Nyesom Wike delivered a state-wide broadcast accusing some politicians of recruiting cultists and ex-convicts to cause disturbances in the state premised on the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
But it was uncovered that the sealed facilities belong to a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, Wike’s estranged political ally.
In his reaction, Kelvin Ebiri, media aide to the governor said the government was in the know that some hotel and entertainment centre owners are secretly giving out their premises to politicians and political parties as venues for “political thugs”.
He added, “Similarly, we will not allow any political party, be it the All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party or the Social Democratic Party to threaten the safety and security of lives and property during the campaigns with mayhem, thuggery or violence.
“Accordingly, we have already alerted and set the security agencies on the trail of these misguided politicians and leaders of political parties and stop them in their tracks with the full weight of the law.”