A fire outbreak has severely damaged the newly constructed Ikwere Local Government Secretariat and parts of the Eleme Council complex in Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Sunday, and is believed to have been caused by explosive devices detonated by suspected political thugs.
According to reports, the attackers stormed the secretariat buildings shortly after police officers were withdrawn from all 23 local government areas in the state.
The gunmen, believed to be political thugs, allegedly targeted the facilities due to grievances over the recently concluded local government elections.
The thugs expressed dissatisfaction with the election results, in which the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara won 22 local government chairmanship seats under the platform of the Action Peoples Party (APP).
The group claimed the results were manipulated, arguing that an unpopular political party could not have legitimately won so many seats in Rivers State.
In response to the election results, the group insisted that the six-month tenure extension granted by the Rivers State House of Assembly, under Speaker Martins Amaewhule, to the former council chairmen, who are loyal to the state’s minister, should remain in effect.
They rejected the legitimacy of the newly elected chairmen and expressed their dissatisfaction through violent means.
When Eleme Local Government Chairman, Brian Gokpa, arrived at the council secretariat, he found the complex engulfed in flames. Efforts to salvage the situation were futile as the fire had already caused extensive damage.
Similarly, Ikwere Local Government Chairman, Israel Abosi, and his supporters were chased away from their secretariat by the attackers, further escalating the unrest in the area.
In addition to the attacks on the Ikwere and Eleme secretariats, there were reports of unrest and thuggery in other local government areas, including Emohua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Obio-Akpor, and Ahoada West.
The widespread violence has sparked major concern among residents and political observers, as tensions continue to rise following the disputed local government elections.
The exact motive behind the attacks remains unclear, but the situation has raised fears of further violence and disruption in the state.
Local authorities are yet to provide a detailed statement on the incident or confirm the extent of the damage caused by the fire and the attacks.