A deepening crisis has engulfed Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State as the council chairman, Chidi Lloyd, and over 200 protesting individuals clash over their employment status and months of unpaid salaries.

The dispute, which has triggered multiple protests, centres on whether the aggrieved persons are legitimate staff of the council or impostors wrongfully demanding payment.

The protesters, who claim to be bona fide employees, last week stormed the Rivers State Government House and the Rivers State House of Assembly, demanding immediate payment of salary arrears reportedly spanning over seven months. They also called for the release of a long-awaited staff verification report.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Compel Emohua council chairman to pay our salaries” and “Seven months unpaid salaries”, the protesters urged lawmakers to intervene and hold the council leadership accountable.

One of the protest leaders, Nwaru Solomon, accused the council of neglecting verified workers despite due process.

He alleged that although more than 300 staff members were confirmed during a verification exercise, only 17 had received salaries.

“We have gone through verification and have been confirmed as legitimate staff, yet we have not been paid for over seven months,” Solomon said, describing the situation as unjust and unbearable.

However, the Chairman, Lloyd has firmly rejected the claims, insisting that the protesters are not recognized staff of the council.

According to him, the ongoing verification exercise by the state government is yet to be concluded, and only its final report can determine legitimate employees.

The chairman further argued that an earlier internal verification exercise had already identified many of the protesters as non-staff, alleging widespread irregularities in the council’s payroll system.

“One thing I have noticed in Nigeria is that when you fight corruption, it fights back—even frontally,” Lloyd stated.

He revealed that upon assuming office during his first tenure, he encountered a bloated payroll of about 1,600 names, prompting him to write to former governor Nyesom Wike requesting a comprehensive staff audit.

According to Lloyd, the exercise uncovered shocking discrepancies, including names of deceased persons, minors, and individuals engaged in dual employment.

He also alleged that some political actors inserted names of their supporters into the payroll without proper employment status.

Following the audit, he said, 989 genuine staff were retained and paid, while fraudulent entries were removed.

However, he claimed that upon his return for a second tenure, many of those earlier dismissed for fraud had been illegally reinstated.