Bayelsa State elections, one individual lost their life in a violent clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Famgbe.
FIJ has received confirmation from residents, who spoke anonymously, that Ovie Ogbara, a younger brother to Benjamin Ogbara, an APC Bayelsa State House of Assembly aspirant in 2021, was fatally shot during the clash.
The violence erupted when loyalists of both the APC and PDP attempted to intimidate each other away from polling units. A resident shared with FIJ, "One person has been shot dead in Famgbe community, and accreditation is yet to start. The situation is very tense here. APC boys started shooting to scare PDP loyalists. PDP retaliated, and both APC and PDP thugs are out to undo each other. Currently, both parties are blaming each other for the violence, and everyone is just scared."
Facebook user Edeforo Mc Koboko Elijah reported that the violence escalated when an unidentified House of Representatives member was arrested by the police during a visit to the community. Famgbe youths then detained INEC officials, insisting that voting would not commence until the arrested man was released. Elijah described the chaotic scene, including gunfire and injuries.
"I got here around 6:30 am. We heard the news that a House of Reps member visited this morning and was arrested by the police," he wrote. "Famgbe youths then had all INEC officials rounded up and said no voting would take place until the said man was released. There was a lot of shooting, one down and the other in critical condition. With the help of the military in their large numbers, the INEC officials have been freed, and accreditation has now begun."
While the identity of the arrested House of Representatives member remains unconfirmed, residents reported that the INEC officials were eventually rescued by the military. FIJ attempted to contact CSP Asinim Butswat, the public relations officer of the Bayelsa State Police Command, for confirmation, but calls went unanswered, and a text message had not received a response at the time of press.
إرسال تعليق