THE Ijaw National Congress (INC) worldwide has condemned in strong terms, the September 14 killings in Abuloma, Rivers State, during the ljaw Youth Council (IYC) elections.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, in Abuja on Monday, September 16, INC described the killings as unwarranted, senseless and tragic, saying Ijaw people are not known to be violent in nature, particularly when what was involved (elections) is supposed to be a family affair.
He stated: “Aside, it beats all reasonable imaginations that people who were supposed to be aspiring to serve the people turned around to massacre the same people in the most bestial manner.
“The INC calls for calm, while it expects the security agencies to do very thorough investigations and fish out the culprits. It is the belief of the INC that the full weight of the law must be visited on any one found culpable.
“The Congress commiserates with the families of those who died tin this most unfortunate incident.”
Recall that the Rivers Police Command, had in a statement, confirmed that it was aware of the sporadic shooting in the Abuloma area during the IYC Central Zone elections, noting that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu, swiftly dispatched Tactical Teams to the scene, but the perpetrators had already escaped.
The Police further stated that the commissioner had ordered a full-scale crackdown to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice, adding: “Normalcy has returned to the area and law-abiding citizens are encouraged to continue their daily activities.”
The statement urged residents to report any suspicious activity to the Police.
When asked about the casualties, the Command’s spokesperson, Iringe-Koko, said the Police was yet received confirmation, even as investigations were ongoing.
