Operatives of the Rivers state police command have been accused of opening fire directly on the people of Nkpolu Oroworukwo town in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
The Secretary of the community who made the accusation in a statement circulated on the social media, alleged that the police fired at the community people during a peaceful protest staged by them to assert their rights over an ancestral land, which is said to be currently under threat of unlawful acquisition by FCT Minister Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike and Hon. O.K. Chinda, the Minority Leader in the Federal House of Representatives.
The secretary in the statement condemned the police brutality and illegal use of force over community land dispute.
“To our shock and dismay, we were met with over 100 heavily armed policemen, allegedly deployed to suppress our peaceful demonstration”, he lamented, adding, ” As we approached with nothing more than placards, the police opened fire directly on unarmed civilians, injuring several community members, including: Mr. Emmanuel Amadi, former Community Secretary, Barrister Bekwele Tom Ogbuji and so many others who we are yet to get in contact with who have gone for treatment. We wish to bring this ugly incident to the notice of the public and the inspector general of police”.
All efforts to reach the state command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, for her reaction proved abortive.
