Rivers State Information Commissioner, Mr Joe Johnson and his health counterpart, Dr Chidinma Oreh on Tuesday spoke on the protest undertaken by former local government chairmen loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt.
In the course of the protest, a youth who was suspected to have attempted to detonate a dynamite was feared dead. TNN could not confirm if the person actually died, even though the health commissioner said one of those who was part of the protesters sustained serious injuries after a failed attempt to detonate an explosive .
The youth whose identity is yet to be known, was believed to be carrying an explosive suspected to be dynamite while on the streets for the protest.
The protesting former local government chairmen went into the streets of Port Harcourt and other local governments in the state on Monday, to call on the police to remain at the various local government secretariats until pending judgement on the lingering issues surrounding the status of lawmakers in the state is delivered.
The former local government and other politicians loyal to WIke went into the streets for the second time on Tuesday, against the counsel of the police, that there should not be any form of protests to avoid a hijack by hoodlums.
Johnson who spoke to TNN over the telephone said the entire incident was shocking and embarrassing, saying even though it was not certain if the victim was dead, the entire drama was avoidable.
He said it was worrisome that the pro-Wike protesters decided to embark on what he called meaningless and senseless protests in the state, when security operatives had earlier warned against such acts. He recalled that the TUC, NULGE and the NLC which had threatened to embark on similar protests had suspended their planned action after the police issued the advice.
Johnson said it was shameful and ironic that even when a court of competent jurisdiction has given judgment annulling any amendment to the state’s local government law on tenure extension for the immediate past local government chairmen, the chairmen still felt some sense of entitlement and were interrupting the peace of Rivers State because they wanted to show how loyal they were to their godfather.
Meanwhile, the health commissioner has alerted all hospitals in the state to be on the look for anyone who may be brought for medicare. She said such a person if seen, should be arrested and the police as well as her office informed accordingly.
