Confusion is reigning in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as the Nigeria Police Force and the Youths clashed over the lingering issue of the expiration of the tenures of chairmen in the state.
The youths said they were at the secretariat to carry out a peaceful demonstration against the immediate past local government council chairmen whom they claimed have refused to vacate office after expiration of their tenure, The Quest Times is reporting.
A spokesperson of the group said immediately the police sighted them, they started shooting at them.
“We are Ijaw youths; we are here on a peaceful demonstration against those whose tenure have expired but said they will not vacate their office. We are not here to make trouble but we were on a peaceful demonstration but the police started shooting at us,” he said.
Also speaking, leader of Port Harcourt City youths, who also came to demonstrate at the Secretariat , Allwell Ichemanti, said one of the youths was shot by the police.
He accused the immediate past Chairman of the Council of inviting the police to attack them.
The deafening gunshots caused pandemonium along the stretch of the council Secretariat adjacent to both the state police command headquarters and Rivers State House of Assembly as residents and passersby scampered for safety.
Efforts made to speak with State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko, proved abortive as her phone was switched off but the Commissioner of Police , Olatunji Disu, had earlier said men of the command had been deployed in various councils to maintain peace.
