Violence on Monday broke out across Rivers State with video clips showing corpses littering the premises of local government offices in Ikwerre and Ahoada East LGAs where shootings took place to resist attempts of newly sworn chairmen to resume office.
No fewer than five deaths have been reported, following gunfire at different local government council secretariats in Rivers State by thugs.
The factions have continued to contest the legitimacy of the local government elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
On Monday, Senator Shehu Sani, who previously represented Kaduna, sued for peace, and warned on the cost of the crisis: “The burning down of Rivers State LG secretariats by thugs is unfortunate.”
The unrest, which initially began as protests over the recent local government elections, took a deadly turn as armed groups clashed around the council offices.
Sani had on Saturday 5th October tweeted: “Rivers political crisis is expensive for the Governor, expensive for the Minister and expensive for the people of the state.
“Everyday money has to be spent to buy loyalists, to keep loyalists and to defend political territories: A state richly blessed with enormous wealth and endless troubles.
Videos circulating online show graphic scenes of bodies around the council secretariats, following the rejection of newly sworn-in chairmen by supporters of former Governor Nyesom Wike.
The Rivers State Police Command has yet to confirm the incidents after security forces pulled out of the council secretariats after an order by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
