According to a report by Vanguard, there was panic in Ubima Community, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, country home of the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi and Sir Celestine Omehia, former governor of the state, following an invasion of the area by gunmen.
The gunmen believed to be cultists who stormed the village on Wednesday shot sporadically and disrupted the community market and the campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the June 16 local government elections in the state.
Speaking on the development, Chief Wegbuom Sabinus, Chairman, Ubima Council of Chiefs, described the invasion as worrisome, stating that the incident had raised tension in the area.
Sabinus said: “Some gunmen invaded our community in the morning, shooting sporadically. The incident caused panic and we are not happy about it. Nobody died in the incident. Some military men came and chased the criminals away.
“The incident affected our market. We felt that it was an attempt to stop our programmes for the day, but they did not succeed. We are calling for improved security of lives and property of our people.”
Meanwhile, chairmanship candidate of the PDP for the elections in Ikwerre LGA, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, who addressed supporters in the area, vowed to stamp out cultism and criminality in the area if elected the council chairman.
Nwanosike said: “We are aware that the drafters of our constitution took time to outline that there would be the third tier of government to meet the needs of people at the grassroots. Any democracy without the local government is autocratic.
“Governor Wike has vowed that there must be a formidable local government system in the state. The criminals shot sporadically in this community because some people don’t want us to speak out.”