Chaos erupted in Isiokpo, the main hub of Ikwerre Local Government Area, on Monday as police officers unleashed gunfire and tear gas to scatter a gathering of council workers.
The workers, gathered at the council’s secretariat to resume duties as directed by the National Union of Local Government Employees, fled in panic as the officers arrived in several patrol vehicles, reportedly firing indiscriminately.
The PUNCH reported that the Ikwerre council area had previously been one of the hardest hit in a series of attacks on local government offices in Rivers State, allegedly carried out by political thugs following the recent council elections.
In response, the council, along with two other severely affected local government offices, had been sealed off to prevent further outbreaks of violence.
An eyewitness described the scene, revealing that several workers, including two women, were injured in their frantic attempts to escape. Some employees ran into the surrounding bushes for cover, while others were visibly shaken.
“This morning, the National Union of Local Government Workers asked their members to resume work at the Ikwerre Local Government,” said the witness, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons. “While we were there, we saw more than 100 policemen fully armed. And they started shooting and firing teargas everywhere, workers, women and everybody started running. As I speak now, two women slumped and the policemen are now allowing access to medical care.”
Chief of Staff for the Ikwerre LGA, Richard Henry, confirmed the episode and expressed concern over the potential casualties.
“They came to the premises and shot teargas everywhere, and people were running helter-skelter. Our mothers and youths who were there are injured. We don’t know if there was any death because many people ran into the bush,” he said. “The policemen came with a hot water tank and about 11 Hilux vans.”
Henry condemned the heavy-handed response by the police, noting that a judicial commission set up by the Rivers State government was already examining the recent attacks on the councils.
“All of them were armed. Moreover, this matter is before the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry, and they came to teargas everybody, which is not fair. We will resist them,” he added.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, later acknowledged the police presence at the Ikwerre council headquarters.
She explained that officers were dispatched to the scene to prevent a possible escalation of violence, following reports that a crowd of around 300 individuals had forced their way into the premises, potentially to loot or damage property.
“It is not men in police uniform. They are police officers in the command who went there to maintain law and order,” Iringe-Koko clarified. “You know because of the local government that was burnt, a panel of inquiry was set up by the governor to look into the immediate and remote causes of the secretariats that were burnt, and the sitting is ongoing.”
She went on to explain the decision to deploy officers, noting that the Ikwerre council had suffered some of the most extensive damage in the recent spate of attacks.
“All the secretariats that were attacked are under lock and key, and this Ikwerre LGA is one with major damage. Now some mobs, over 300, damaged the gate and forced themselves into the secretariat, either to loot or further destroy properties. That was the reason the police were called upon. And in response, our men swiftly mobilised and went there to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order and restore peace by dispersing them so that they don’t destroy any facility.”
