Less than three hours after the Rivers State Police Command said that local government secretariats that had been closed would now be open, violence broke out in multiple locations, resulting in gunfire, arson, and fatalities.
Monday morning, just after newly elected chairman Brian Gokpa and his supporters and councilors arrived, a portion of the Eleme Local Government Area office was set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the assailants caused significant damage by purposefully targeting several buildings within the complex. The precise reason for the attack is yet unknown.
Following a political impasse between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his erstwhile political ally, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, the secretariats have been locked since June.
Fubara selected caretaker chairmen, however, were obliged to operate from other places due to the closures. Local government elections were held on October 5, 2024, in spite of Wike’s attempts to prevent them. Governor Fubara then swore in the newly elected chairmen the following day.
The decision to open the secretariats was confirmed earlier in the day by the Rivers State Police Command in a statement, citing instructions from Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
Bala Mustapha, the recently appointed Commissioner of Police, communicated the directive from the IGP to remove police officers stationed in the secretariats in order to maintain impartiality and the seamless operation of democratic procedures. The cops made it clear that they would only go back in case there was a security hazard.
As freshly elected officials start to take office, worries regarding the security of other local government buildings have been raised in response to the attack on the Eleme secretariat, despite the police’s insistence that everyone be calm and trust that peace will be maintained.
One individual is said to have died as a result of intermittent shooting on the street leading to the Rector’s Lodge in Khana Local Government Area.
Bottles were thrown during a dispute at Obio/Akpor LGA, where violence also broke out, but the police were able to control the situation.
Following the removal of the police from the area, protesters from the PDP and the Action People’s Party (APP) in Bori got into a fight at the Khana Council Secretariat.
Unknown gunmen are said to have driven the recently elected chairman and his backers from the secretariat in Ikwerre LGA.
The Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Secretariat has also been taken over by pro-Wike forces, denying the pro-Governor Fubara council chairman access to the position.
Executive Chairman Dr. Gift Okere has assumed command of the council secretariat in Oyigbo LGA, and administrative operations have started as soon as the vice chairman and ten elected councilors were sworn in.
While the council chairman addresses supporters from his office at the secretariat in Ngo, Andoni LGA is now serene.
Pro-Wike parties’ early attempts to barricade the secretariat in Ahoada East were overthrown following a serious gun incident that left three persons wounded.
As the recently elected officials prepare to enter office, worries about more unrest have been sparked by the increasing violence across several secretariats, which highlights the extreme political division in Rivers State.
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