Tensions flared in Ahoada East, Rivers State, following the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun’s directive to lift the three-month ban on Local Government Area (LGA) secretariats.
The lifting of the ban came on Monday, sparking disagreements, particularly in Ahoada East, the LGA of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Edison Ehie.
Eyewitnesses reported that police officers fired warning shots into the air to disperse individuals who attempted to resist the resumption of the Ahoada East LGA chairman. Correspondents at the scene had to flee as tensions escalated.
Earlier in the day, Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, issued a statement confirming the reopening of all 23 LGA secretariats in the state. Acting on the orders of the IGP, newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Bala, directed the withdrawal of all police personnel previously stationed to secure the council secretariats.
The secretariats had been sealed in June following a conflict between Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and former LGA chairmen aligned with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Governor Fubara recently inaugurated 23 newly elected LGA chairmen at a ceremony held in the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, just a day after the Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted local elections.
In a related incident, some individuals reportedly attempted to barricade the Port Harcourt City LGA secretariat earlier on Monday. However, the situation was defused when supporters of the LGA Chairman, Ezebunwo Ichemati, arrived at the scene. Ichemati was later seen supervising the clearing and cleaning of the secretariat premises.
The reopening of the LGA secretariats marks a new chapter in the state’s political landscape, though tensions remain high in certain areas.
