Police Disperse Ikwerre Workers Amid Tensions

|By Adejumo Adekunle –

Pandemonium erupted on Monday at the Ikwerre Local Government headquarters in Isiokpo as police fired gunshots and teargas to disperse workers who had gathered to resume duties. Workers, responding to a directive from the National Union of Local Government Employees, found themselves fleeing into nearby bushes as heavily armed police stormed the council secretariat in multiple patrol vans.

An eyewitness shared, “Over 100 armed policemen arrived, firing shots and teargas everywhere. Workers and women scrambled for safety; two women collapsed in the chaos, unable to get immediate medical help.”

Richard Henry, Chief of Staff for Ikwerre LGA, condemned the police actions as “unwarranted,” noting that many workers sustained injuries. He emphasized that the local government had been closed for months following attacks on council facilities by suspected political thugs and added that the arson case is already under review by the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry.

State police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed police involvement, explaining, “Officers were deployed to maintain order after crowds forced entry into the closed council premises.” The incident underscores tensions around the recent unrest following local elections.