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Just In : Heavy gunshots as youths protest at Rivers LG secretariat
… police claim ignorance of such gunshots
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Rivers State continues to escalate as youths reportedly storm local government secretariats, as there were sporadic gunshots at the Port Harcourt City Council on Tuesday morning.
It was alleged that policemen fired several times into the air to scare away scores of Ijaw youths who came to demonstrate at the Council’s Secretariat against the tenure elongation.
One of the protesters, who refused to mention his name for fear of being identified, said they were at the Secretariat to carry out a peaceful demonstration against the immediate past local government council chairmen, Allwell Ihunda, who they claimed had vowed not to vacate office despite the expiration of his tenure on June 17.
He, however, alleged that policemen started shooting in their direction as soon as they sighted the youths.
He said, “We are Ijaw youths and are here on a peaceful demonstration against those whose tenure has expired but refused to vacate their office.
“We are not here to make trouble. We were just on a peaceful demonstration, but surprisingly the police started shooting at us. ”
Speaking, one of the leaders of Port Harcourt City youths, identified as Ichemanti, alleged that one of the protesting youths was shot at by the police.
The situation had heightened tension in the metropolis as the gunshots could be heard far away.
The Port Harcourt City Council is located near the State Police Command and the State House of Assembly complex, which was bombed by suspected arsonists in the heat of the political crisis in the state last year.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was informed of reports of gunshots in the area but said it was not from the police.
Iringe-Koko said, “It is not the police that are shooting. Our men have been deployed already to identify and apprehend those disturbing the peace.
“As I speak to you now, the Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police are on patrol. Policemen that have been deployed there and they are visible.
“We will ensure nobody takes the laws into their hands under our watch. The CP on Monday said the police is ready to do its job, and that is what we are doing.”
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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