Two die after shooting incident in Rivers Community

A shooting incident in the Abuloma community of Port Harcourt Local Government Area in Rivers State has reportedly left two people dead and many injured.

The shooting, which occurred on Saturday, caused pandemonium as passers-by ran for safety.

The Guardian learnt that aggrieved youths, suspected to be members of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), engaged an opposing camp in a duel following the group’s scheduled election in the area.

Consequently, an 18-seater bus, apparently transporting members of the youth group to the meeting point, was burnt while bloodstains dotted the White House junction leading to the jetty.

An eyewitness narrated that a group of boys wearing white and black shirts with white scarves stormed the area and began to shoot sporadically.

“Some people were caught in the crossfire and were rushed to the hospital for immediate medical intervention for the varying degrees of gunshot injuries they sustained in the process,” the witness said.

Another eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the shooting “may be the result of a disagreement among the IYC members from the central zone who were holding their election in the area”.

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said in a statement yesterday that the Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, was aware of the incident.

“The CP swiftly dispatched tactical teams to the venue, but before the arrival of the police, the perpetrators ran into hiding. The CP has given marching orders to track down the perpetrators and bring them to face the full wrath of the law,” she said.