SUSPECTED thugs, on Monday, October 7, set fire to two local government council secretariats in Rivers State in protest against the swearing-in of 22 newly-elected council chairmen by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Armed thugs were seen storming several council offices, shooting into the air and vandalising the properties, with Eleme and Ikwerre secretariats set ablaze by a mob.
The attacks came shortly after Police officers were withdrawn from all 23 local government council offices, following the directives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
The offices had been sealed in June this year after a dispute arose over Fubara’s appointment of caretaker committee chairmen, but tensions heightened when Fubara resisted a 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 the deaths were connected to the violent incidents at the council secretariats.
An eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the male victims were shot deaf by hoodlums, but could not confirm which group was responsible, saying: “They (thugs) just arrived and started shooting sporadically and everyone ran for cover.”
