“No Wike, No Rivers” Protest Rocks Amidst Shooting, Killing, Arson In Rivers LGAs

Edith CHUKU

There is panic in some local government areas of Rivers State, following protest, shooting and burning down of some council secretariat by yet to be identified persons.

Protesters who besieged some of the LGAs were said to have been chanting “no Wike, no Rivers State, no Wike, no Secretariats”.

This is happening less than six hours after the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the unsealing of the 23 council secretariats and immediate withdrawal of Policemen who blocked the council entrance since July.

TNN gathered that some aggrieved protesters invaded the council headquarters in Omoku; Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni, to prevent the newly sworn-in chairman from assuming office.

As at the time of filing this report, our correspondent gathered that there were no casualty and stability had been restored in ONELGA.

The case in Eleme and Ikwerre LGAs are different as the council secretariats were set ablaze by the unidentified protesters, in expression of their disapproval of the October 5 LGA election.

In Eleme LGA, the fire outbreak which affected the council building and some vehicles was said to have emanated from an explosion from a device suspected to be a dynamite.

In Obio/Akpor, the local government of the immediate past governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, residents reported hearing gunshots, though unaware if there were any casualty.

Tensions are running high as some residents expressed the fear that crisis might break out in the state, if not properly managed.