The Ijaw National Congress (INC) worldwide has condemned in strong terms the September 14 killings in Abuloma during the Ijaw Youth Council elections. On Monday, the group’s spokesman, Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, announced this in a statement.

INC described the killings as unwarranted, senseless and tragic.

“The INC calls for calm, while it expects the security agencies to do very thorough investigations and fish out the culprits. It is the belief of the INC that the full weight of the Law must be visited on anyone found culpable,” said the statement. “The congress commiserates with the families of those who died in this most unfortunate incident.”

The Rivers police command said it was aware of the “senseless and sporadic shooting in the Abuloma area during the Ijaw Youth Council Central Zone elections.”

In a statement, the command said the police commissioner “swiftly dispatched Tactical Teams to the scene, but the perpetrators had already escaped.”

The police further stated that the commissioner had ordered a full-scale crackdown to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Normalcy has returned to the area, and law-abiding citizens are encouraged to continue their daily activities,” the statement added, urging residents to report any suspicious activity to the police.

When asked about the alleged casualties, Mr Iringe-Koko said the command had not received confirmation, adding that investigations were ongoing. 

(NAN)