According to one of the journalists, Emmanuel Atseyinku, the thugs were led by one Hon Obinna Ekem, a council Secretary under Wike-led government and a strong loyalist to the minister.
Two journalists working with a Nigerian online newspaper, 9News Nigeria Reporters, were on Saturday attacked while covering the Rivers State local government elections.
They were allegedly attacked by hoodlums loyal to the political faction of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
According to one of the journalists, Emmanuel Atseyinku, the thugs were led by one Hon Obinna Ekem, a council Secretary under Wike-led government and a strong loyalist to the minister.
Emmanuel said he and his colleague were brutally attacked around 1:30 pm on Saturday and that their camera was damaged by the hoodlums.
He added that the incident occurred a short distance from Igwuruta Divisional Police Station in the Igwuruta Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
“We were running for our safety right. They just attacked us with our camera completely damaged and some of our gadgets stolen by them.
“They said they didn’t want us to cover the voting process. They were shooting to scare people from the voting unit.
“The man who led the boys was once a council secretary under Wike's government and a strong loyalist to Wike,” he alleged.
Sources told SaharaReporters earlier on Sunday that a group loyal to Wike had hired youths to block the council secretariats in order to deny the newly elected local government chairmen access.
According to the sources, the faction loyal to the minister mobilised 20 youths from each ward, offering them N15,000 each, to block council secretariats and prevent Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s group from accessing them.
The state police command on Saturday confirmed that two explosions rocked the state during the local government elections.
According to the police, the first explosion occurred at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat along Aba Road, while the second struck the Obio/Akpor Local Government Secretariat, just outside Port Harcourt.
The police command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, noted that the incident happened almost simultaneously.
Iringe-Koko stated that the police visited the scenes and collected samples for their investigation.
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