The political unrest in Rivers State has escalated dramatically following the swearing-in of newly elected local government council chairmen by Governor Siminilayi Fubara. Armed thugs have attacked several local government area secretariats, vandalizing and setting fire to buildings.
The violence began on Monday around 11 a.m., with Eleme Local Government Area being among the first to be targeted. A group of hoodlums stormed the secretariat, setting parts of the building ablaze and declaring their intention to prevent the newly inaugurated chairman from entering the office.
In a similar attack at the Ikwerre Local Government Secretariat in Isiokpo, thugs protesting the legitimacy of the Saturday elections set fire to the office of the newly sworn-in chairman. The violence was not limited to arson, as more severe incidents unfolded in other areas.
At Emohua Local Government, a more destructive attack occurred just after the newly appointed chairman, David Omereji, had sworn in his deputy, Patient Ebere, along with 14 councillors. A group of youths detonated explosives, believed to be dynamite, at the council secretariat, causing extensive damage to the building and destroying property within the premises.
These attacks followed the withdrawal of police security from local government offices after the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the removal of security personnel from council gates. The absence of law enforcement officers left the secretariats vulnerable to the escalating violence, raising serious concerns about political stability in the state.
Earlier in the day, there were reports of heavy gunfire across several local government areas, as armed thugs attempted to prevent the newly elected chairmen from accessing their council offices. The gunfire was reported at the Ikwerre Local Government Secretariat in Isiokpo, the Khana Secretariat in Bori, and other locations throughout the state.
This wave of violence comes in the wake of the recently concluded local government elections, conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on Saturday. Following the elections, Governor Fubara swore in the 23 elected local government chairmen.
However, tensions erupted when reports emerged that a political faction opposing the election results had mobilized youths, with 20 individuals per ward, to block the newly elected chairmen and councillors from entering their respective council secretariats.
The situation further intensified as the news of arson and bombings spread across the state, deepening the political crisis in Rivers State.
