During a medical outreach at the Eliozu community in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of River State, supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, clashed on Wednesday, 24 July 2024.

Rumor had it that the State Ministry of Health officials’ medical outreach program for women at the Eliozu Health Center was the catalyst for unrest.

Further information revealed that shortly after the program began, several purportedly devoted followers of the factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, showed up at the location to inquire as to why there was a gathering. The location is reportedly close to Amaewhule’s house, the leader of the 27 lawmakers who support Wike.

However, those present at the location who were loyal to Fubara, and supporters of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in the state, Chijioke Ihunwo, allegedly prevented them from evaluating the place, which resulted in a heated disagreement and eventual violence.

After the altercation, stones were thrown from both sides, and the medical outreach was suddenly cut off. After a short while, riot police officers showed up on the site and started using tear gas to break up the opposing factions and stop things from getting out of control.

But word quickly spread that a young person who had allegedly breathed in tear gas was taken to the hospital and later recovered consciousness. Information also surfaced that the outreach was subsequently relocated to the state capital of Port Harcourt, where the program was initiated, to a state-owned medical facility on the Waterlines axis.

Ihunwo responded to the event by accusing Amaewhule of ordering police officers to obstruct the outreach. Ihunwo declared, “There was an incident this morning at the Eliozu Health Center where Martin Amaewhule, the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led some security men to disrupt a program by the Ministry of Health.

“After a little while, some police officers arrived and began abusing our women while directing tear gas at expectant mothers who were at the health center. We would like to clarify that there will not be a siege in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. We would like to inform President Bola Tinubu that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Inspector General of Police are damaging the reputation of your administration.

To bring peace to Rivers State, we are pleading with you to summon them to order. Please leave our beloved Governor alone while the FCT Minister focuses on his work in Abuja.”

When contacted, Martins Wachukwu, Amaewhule’s media assistant, said that he will talk with the media personnel on Thursday morning. 

The event was confirmed by Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokesperson for the State Police Command. Iringe-Koko stated that the police responded to a distress call regarding the circumstance in a brief message to the PUNCH correspondent. She also mentioned that the investigation was still ongoing.

“A distress call was received from the health center in the Eliozu community today, July 24, 2024, where supporters of two separate political factions were engaged in combat,” she said. “To restore law and order, the Police sent operatives to the scene. To disperse the masses, the Police used anti-riot techniques, which included the deployment of canisters. The situation is now being looked into.”

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