Rivers crisis: Arsonists on the prowl, target LG headquarters
From Chris Eze Port Harcourt
The political crisis in Rivers State has heightened on the heels of the just concluded local government election.
Just hours after the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun odered the unsealing of the secretariats of the 23 local government areas of Rivers State following the conclusion of the local government election in the state and swearing in of the elected officials, hoodlums suspected to be members of the pro Wike faction in the raging political crisis in the state have taken over most of the local government headquarters, shooting and burning down properties at the councils.
Attacks have been reported in Eleme, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Emohua, Ahoada, Khana, among others with tales of destruction, killing and maiming
At Eleme,residents of the area told The Oracle Today that they started hearing sporadic gun shots at about 8am which forced businesses around the vicinity of the secretariat to shut down and flee.
Our correspondent gathered that the newly elected chairman of the council. Chief Brain Gokpa was alerted by informants when the thugs arrived at the secretariat, but apparently heeding the directives of the Governor on Sunday that they should not fight back when provoked, delayed his visit to the secretariat till the hoodlums had gone.
Sources hinted that the plot to carry out the attack was hatched yesterday in Port Harcourt allegedly coordinated by Chief Obarilomate Ollor, former chairman of the council who was among the chairmen whose tenure ended in June, but who claimed to have gotten tenure extension from the pro Wike lawmakers.
Recall that speaking during the swearing in of the elected chairmen on Sunday in Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Fubara had hinted of a plot by his detractors to mobilize 20 youths each from the 319 wards to the various local government councils on Monday (today) to cause commotion as the new chairmen and councillors would be assuming office.
When our correspondent visited the secretariat located at Ogale in Eleme, smoke from the fire was still oozing out from the buildings amidst large crowd including the new chairman, Chief Brain Gokpa, who invariably was the immediate past CTC Chairman of the council.
The council chairman who was not in the mood to speak to the press was busy going round with his aides and the councilors assessing the extent of damage caused by the fire.
In Ahoada, unconfirmed report said the younger brother of the Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara, Hon Edison Ehie was gunned down, while in Emohua and Ik were LGAs,parts of the secretariats were touched with fire and explosives.
Wike’s LGA, Obio/Akpor was not spared by the hoodlums, including Khana among others in what looked like a coordinated assault on the state and the newly elected chairmen and councilors
The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and a faction of the All Progressive Congress, APC had boycotted the local government election citing a Federal High Court order from Abuja which had barred the State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC from holding the election.
They are insisting that there was no election on Saturday following the court order and that those who emerged from the election are not recognized in the eyes of the law.
As at the time of filing this report, the State police command had yet to react to the escalation lf violence across the local government areas.
