Officials from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and voters were thrown into chaos on Saturday when armed individuals wearing police uniforms stormed Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City Local Government. The assailants unleashed tear gas and seized election materials, creating a panic that forced many to flee.
Around 21 Hilux patrol vans filled with heavily armed personnel were observed arriving at the scene via Elekahia Road. Upon their arrival, they immediately discharged multiple rounds of tear gas.
RSIEC officials, who had set up for accreditation in Ward 19—which comprises 10 voting units—were forced to abandon their posts as the armed men aggressively pursued them from the entrance. In a disturbing incident, one of the armed individuals confronted and harassed an official from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
saying, “Come here, remove that vest. What are you doing here?”
The armed individuals, several of whom were wearing masks, demanded that the officials remove their vests and surrender them. As they continued to intimidate the officials, they systematically collected all election materials and unleashed additional rounds of tear gas.
The armed men targeted the crowd directly, shooting tear gas canisters into the fleeing individuals. One of the assailants aimed and fired another canister at bystanders gathered at the entrance of Ibe Street in Elekahia, causing residents and voters to scatter in a frantic bid to escape.
Numerous RSIEC officials, voters, and local residents fled into Ibe and Boms Streets within the Elekahia community in a state of confusion, heightening tensions in the area as several police patrol vans sped away with a large amount of election materials.
When reached for comment, Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, stated that she was unaware of the incident.
“I’m not aware. You are just telling me now”, she stated tersely.
