REVEALED: How Police chased electoral officials, voters in Rivers, seized ballot papers
Officials of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC and voters ran for their lives when police officers stormed Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City local government area, yesterday.
About 21 Hilux patrol vans with heavily armed officers drove into the school which has 10 polling units, reports Daily Trust.
Officials of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSEIC) who had set up their stands were chased out of the Ward.
One of the policemen was heard saying, ‘”Come here, remove that vest. What are you doing here? Common move!”
The policemen, some of whom were masked, also asked the officials to remove their vest and hand it to them.
The operatives also shot teargas canister directly into the crowd of people who were running for their lives.
A policeman fired another teargas at by-standers at the entrance of the Street and residents who came out to cast their votes ran helter-skelter.
Many of RSIEC officials, voters and residents of the community ran into Boms streets in Elekahia community in confused manner, thereby creating tension in the area, as the several police patrol vans sped out of the area with many election materials.
When contacted, spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was not aware of the incident.
On the election eve, Governor Siminalayi Fubara had accused the IGP of taking orders from some politicians in Abuja.
He had also vowed to hold Egbetokun responsible if there is breakdown of law and order in the state.
However, the IGP denied the allegations in a statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi.
The earlier reported that the Rivers State LG election held yesterday without police cooperation. At the end of the day, APP won 22 out of 23 chairmanship seats in the state, thus upstaging the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, who is also a former governor of the state.
