Police Name Suspect Behind Hotel Presidential Dynamite Blast

The man responsible for detonating dynamite outside the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt two months ago has been identified by the Rivers State Police in South-South Nigeria.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the state’s police spokesperson, Superintendent Grace Iringe-Koko, revealed that the suspect is 40-year-old Preye Josiah, also known as Metusah. Josiah hails from Kabiama in the Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

EKO HOT BLOG gathered that Josiah allegedly set off the dynamite on June 25 during a protest march supporting former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The protest occurred amid a political dispute between Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, over control of the state’s political structure. Josiah sustained life-threatening injuries in the explosion.

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The demonstration took place after Fubara replaced Wike-backed elected LGA officials with a caretaker committee following the expiration of their three-year term.

Initially, Josiah’s condition was unknown, but the state’s commissioner of health later confirmed that he was “stable” and receiving treatment at a public hospital.

In a statement on Sunday, the police reported that Josiah had undergone three major surgeries and is now recovering. They added that he would be charged in court after the completion of the investigation.

The police further revealed that Josiah had been evading justice for over a decade. He is suspected of involvement in several high-profile bank robberies between 2012 and 2016, during which weapons, including AK-47 rifles, dynamites, and exotic cars, were recovered by police in Bayelsa State.

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Authorities also identified Josiah as a dynamite detonation specialist for the Vikings Confraternity, a notorious cult group.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has launched an investigation into an explosion that occurred early last Monday at the Action People’s Party (APP) office in Port Harcourt’s GRA area. Although property was damaged, no lives were lost in the blast.

Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed that a bomb squad had been dispatched to the scene and that the state police commissioner and other senior officials were conducting an on-site inspection. She assured that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion.

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