By Chidi Roberts
Thugs on Monday set fire to two local government offices in Rivers State in protest of the recent swearing-in of 22 new council chairmen by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Armed thugs were seen storming several council offices, shooting into the air, and vandalising the properties.
Two offices, in Eleme and Ikwerre, were set ablaze by a mob of protesters.
The attacks came shortly after police officers were withdrawn from all 23 local government council offices, following the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun’s directives.
The offices had been sealed in June after a dispute arose over Fubara’s appointment of Caretaker Committee Chairmen.
Tensions escalated when Fubara resisted an ‘illegal’ tenure extension granted to the former council chairmen by a faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martins Amaewhule.
In Oyigbo Local Government Area, at least three people were feared dead following shootings.
It was unclear if these deaths were connected to the violent incidents at the council secretariats.
An eyewitness said that the male victims were shot down by hoodlums but could not confirm which group was responsible.
“They (thugs) just arrived and started shooting sporadically, and everyone ran for cover,” the eyewitness recounted.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson of the Police Command in Rivers, requested more time to provide an official response but had yet to comment at the time of this report.
