Fire guts Eleme, Ikwere LG secretariats in Rivers

Fire gutted the newly built Ikwere Local Government Secretariat and some sections of Eleme Council complex on Monday.

The Guardian learnt that unknown gunmen suspected to be political thugs invaded and detonated explosive devices at the secretariat buildings a few hours after the police withdrew its personnel from the 23 Councils in the State.

The thugs insisted that the recently held local government elections where the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, won 22 seats on the platform of the Action Peoples Party (APP) and the candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) clinched the Etche council chairmanship seat was illegal, saying an unpopular party cannot win council seats in Rivers State.

The group maintained that the six-month tenure extension given by the Martins Amaewhule Assembly to the former council chairmen loyal to the minister remains.

The chairman of Eleme Council, Brain Gokpa, arrived at the secretariats with his councillors and saw that the complex had been engulfed by fire while Ikwere Council chairman, Isreal Abosi, was chased away with his supporters by the thugs.

There were also reports of unrest and invasion of thugs in Emohua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Obio-Akpor, and Ahoada West, among others.