•Gunmen
Gory images of slaughtered youths emerged yesterday at Abuloma, Port Harcourt Capital City after gunshots rocked the elections organised by the Jonathan Lokpobiri -led Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) for the Eastern Zone.
Though some persons claimed that six youths were either shot and killed or cut to death with cutlasses, others said two were confirmed dead while others sustained various degrees of injuries, reports The Nation.
The gunshots were said to have rattled the area sending residents to different directions for safety.
The IYC eastern zone scheduled the election, which was initially postponed for yesterday to elect new executive committee members to pilot its affairs in the zone.
Serious misunderstanding reportedly occurred midway into the exercise as gunmen invaded the venue and started shooting indiscriminately.
The shootings took members unaware and sent them running to different direction while some of them were hit trying to escape from the scene.
Residents were said to have sent save our soul message to the police, who deployed a tactical team in the area to arrest the perpetrators.
Rivers Police Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, described the incident as ‘senseless shooting’
Though the statement did not confirm if there was any casualty, Iringe-Koko said the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, quickly dispatched the command’s tactical unit to the scene, saying the assailants scampered.
She said CP Disu had ordered a crackdown to ensure that the perpetrators were fished out to face justice.
The statement reads: “The Rivers State Police Command is aware of the senseless and sporadic shooting at Abuloma area in the Port-Harcourt City Local Government of the State where the Ijaw Youth Council, Central Zone were conducting their elections.
“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police Rivers State has swiftly despatched Tactical Teams to the scene, but before the arrival of the Police, the perpetrators have run into their hidings.
“The Commissioner of Police has given marching orders to track down the perpetrators and bring them to face the full wrath of the law.
“Meanwhile, the Command wishes to advise all law abiding citizens to go about their lawful businesses and report any suspicious movement to the Police, as normalcy has returned to the area please.”
