IYC Election turns Bloody, Five feared Shot Dead

By Nelson Utip

An election organized by The Ijaw Youth Congress in Rivers State turned violent with as many as five people shot dead in the imbroglio that ensued, this was confirmed by The PPRO of The Rivers state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko who described the attack as “senseless” Violent groups known as ‘political thugs’ have been used by unscrupulous persons for decades to influence the electoral process in Nigeria according to her.

An eyewitness account has it that trouble started some youths spotted irregularities in the election process, gunmen stormed the venue of the exercise and started shooting sporadically.

The Abuloma Community, venue of the election was thrown into panic as the shooting lasted for over four hours and residents and business owners scampered for safety.

Grace Iringe-Koko, The PPRO of The Rivers State Police Command in a statement made available to Newsmen said the police commissioner, Tunji Disu, dispatched a tactical teams to the venue but before the arrival of the police, the miscreants had
disappeared.

“The Rivers state police command is aware of the senseless and sporadic shooting in the Abuloma area during the Ijaw Youth Council Central Zone elections. “The commissioner of police swiftly dispatched tactical teams to the scene, but the
perpetrators had already escaped.” The Statement read in part.