Thursday, March 6, 2025 - About eight people have been sh0t by some angry individuals identified to be members of a local vigilante group in Elele town, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
However, police in the state said that four people were shot in the
incident that happened on Wednesday at Elele Roundabout on the Port
Harcourt-Owerri road.
It was gathered that the gunmen, who are suspected to be members of
Elele Security Planning and Advisory Committee (ESPAC), had swooped on some
youths of the area who were discussing the political crisis in the state and
opened fire on them. At press time, it was not clear what the reason for the
shooting was, but it was reliably gathered that over eight people sustained
bullet wounds.
A source in the area who did not disclose his name told Vanguard “This
is happening now in Elele town, Ikwerre LGA, where the OSPAC commander of
Elele, who incidentally leader of a faction of PDP in Elele, came out and
opened firearms on the supporters of Gov. Sim Fubara, a number of them are in
the hospital now with bullet wounds.
“The said commander has threatened to kill all the members of Gov. Sim
Fubara’s supporters in Elele in the face of all odds; the then chairman could
not do anything about it; today, he has executed the first part and has
threatened to continue. We urge the security agencies to have him arrested for
prosecution.”
The Rivers State Police Command said it has arrested one suspect in
connection with the shooting at Elele Town.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a
Superintendent of Police, noted that the hoodlums, after the shooting, fled,
but that one person was arrested.
“The Rivers State Police Command wishes to inform the general public of
a violent attack at Elele Roundabout on the morning of March 5, 2025, at about
7 am.
“Acting on credible intelligence regarding the unlawful assembly of
suspected hoodlums at the location, a patrol team from Elele Division, led by
the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), swiftly mobilized to the scene to restore
order.
“During an attempt to address the crowd, an unidentified assailant,
hiding within the vicinity, opened fire, resulting in multiple injuries. As of
press time, the number of those injured stood at four.
“The armed hoodlums fled the scene immediately, but one of them was
apprehended, and a single-barrel gun was recovered from him. The injured
victims were promptly rushed to various hospitals in Elele for medical
attention.
“A manhunt is currently underway for the fleeing suspects, some of whom
have been identified as members of the local vigilante group known as OSPAC.
The arrested suspect, along with the recovered firearm, will be transferred to
the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
“The Rivers State Police Command assures the public that all
perpetrators involved in this criminal act will be apprehended and brought to
justice. Further updates will be communicated in due course.”
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