The Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the arson, killings, and destruction of local government area secretariats has assured the public that its findings will not be swept under the carpet, as has happened in the past.

Meanwhile, the panel has decried the high level of damage at the affected LG secretariats across the state.

To gather firsthand details and information on the destruction, the chairman of the panel set up by the state government, Justice Ibiwengi Minakiri, embarked on a tour of the affected council secretariats with committee members yesterday.

The councils visited include Khana, Eleme, Ikwerre, Emohua, and Obio Akpor.

The LG chairmen have called for justice over the mayhem.

According to Justice Minakiri, the visit aimed to gather firsthand information about the incidents to enhance the panel’s work, rather than relying solely on hearsay or documents.

She said, “We have taken time to visit the local government areas to see things for ourselves so that we don’t just rely on documents and other items in the memoranda alone.

“In Khana LGA, we noticed that some things were carted away, along with other damages. In Eleme, the LGA cannot function because of the state it is in. Almost all the offices are in a very terrible condition.

“In Ikwerre, the situation is really bad. If they can still conduct a little council business, it may not take place in the main building for a long time, considering the extent of damage we saw there.”

She added that without the visit, the committee would not have known the extent of the destruction.

Justice Minakiri assured that the committee would review all memoranda objectively and present its report to the government.

He said, “So, I want to say that this visit will help us do our work, and at the end of the day, we will draw our findings, which we know the government will address appropriately.”

Meanwhile, the affected council chairmen have appealed to the committee to ensure their councils receive justice.

The chairmen, who spoke during the visit, said the destruction in their councils had disrupted their work. They expressed hope that the committee’s findings would help alleviate the damage done.

Chairman of Khana Council, Martins Nwigbo, said the destruction of the council was intended to prevent them from assuming office on October 7 and to stir fear among the people.

He stated: “There is nothing left for us in this LGA. We are going to start afresh. So I want to beg this committee to help us get justice because Khana people have been so badly treated.”

Similarly, the Chairman of Emohua, David Omereji, said: “You can see for yourself the level of damage that was done here. We believe that we will get justice for what has happened.”

It will be recalled that five councils in the state were attacked on October 7, 2024, following the conduct of local council polls and the subsequent swearing-in of new council chairmen.

In response to the destruction, Governor Siminalayi Fubara constituted a commission of inquiry on October 8, 2024, to identify those responsible for the attacks.