No explosion at APC rally – Rivers State Police Command
The Rivers State Police Command has refuted media reports of an explosion at the rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State on Thursday.
Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, made this known in a statement.
She said contrary to reports of an explosion, what happened was a communal clash between factions in the host community over payment of rent for the hall used for the rally.
“Before the commencement of the rally, the internal crisis within the community over which faction should control the community playing ground/town hall reared its ugly head. It was alleged that the CDC Chairman collected N200,000 from APC as payment for renting the playground/town hall.
“Incidentally, he shared the money to only the Chiefs and members of his faction. The other faction that didn’t benefit from the sharing insisted that the hall would not be used, except and until they were giving their share of the money. Consequently, a fracas ensued. Two persons were reportedly injured.
“The fracas was not between members of APC and any other political party but between the internal factions within the said community. The DC Operations, Area Commander Port Harcourt, the O/C SIB and DPO Mile one Diobu, were on ground to intervene and restore peace and security at the venue. Thus, the fracas did not affect the APC rally, which ended peacefully.
“There was no explosion before or during the rally. However, the Commissioner of Police has directed the DC State CID and O/C Bomb Disposal Unit to investigate and confirm the veracity of the rumour currently making the rounds on social media.
“It should be noted that Rumuwoji community is factionalized into two; not divided on political party lines, rather factionalized as a result of Chieftaincy tussle. The fracas was defined in these lines,” the statement read in part.
