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Chaos As Armed Men Storm Rivers Polling Unit, Seize Election Materials, Tear Gas Voters

Published

3 months ago

Oct 5, 2024.

Tension erupted on Saturday at Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers state, when armed men dressed in police uniforms violently disrupted the ongoing local government elections.

Eyewitnesses revealed that the attackers, arriving in about 21 Hilux patrol vans, unleashed chaos by firing tear gas and seizing election materials, forcing officials from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and voters to flee for their lives.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the incident occurred just as RSIEC officials were preparing to start accreditation in Ward 19, which includes ten units.

The violence escalated when the armed men, arriving from Elekahia Road, aggressively confronted an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official, demanding they remove their vest, and further intimidated others by forcing them to hand over their vests and confiscating all election materials.

Tear gas was fired into the crowd, leading to widespread panic and sending voters and RSIEC officials scrambling for safety.

One bystander described how a tear gas canister was fired into the entrance of Ibe Street, intensifying the panic. As the chaos spread, residents, officials, and voters fled towards Ibe and Boms Streets, creating scenes of confusion and fear.

Armed Men Rivers Polling Unit

Reports confirmed that the police patrol vans swiftly exited the area with the confiscated election materials, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the elections in Rivers State.

The disruption has heightened fears over the integrity of the electoral process and left many residents questioning the security measures in place.