Hoodlums kill 1, injure 2 in Rivers community

Hoodlums attacked and killed one youth at Anyu community in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State on Sunday.

The victim, whose name was given as Adams Idema, was said to have been hit with sticks by the hoodlums who went round the community for over an hour, attacking perceived enemies and destroying properties with clubs and machetes.
Anyu is the community of the member representing Abua/Odual constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Augustine Ngo, and has been in crisis since 2011 over chieftaincy tussle.
Nigerian Pilot gathered that the youths numbering about 27 also injured two other youths whose names were given as Kalemugh Idema and Iipedio Sokari Lambert.
Sources in the area who spoke to this reporter said the incident occurred around 11am on Sunday, pointing that the victim died at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenegoa in Bayelsa State while one of the injured youths is in a critical condition in another hospital.

They accused the lawmaker of sponsoring the youths to carry out the mayhem.
One of the injured youths who spoke to this reporter said he was preparing to return to Port Harcourt after participating in the Saturday guber elections, when the youths attacked him, smashed his car and left him unconscious.

“I had already packed my things to return to Port Harcourt but I decided to eat at a restaurant before leaving. I was there with the other victims when they came and said ‘look at some of them, look at some of them!’ and before we could do anything they attacked.

“We were rushed to the hospital but one of the victims died. They also destroyed my Toyota Carina E class car. I don’t think this is political because the elections were peaceful; I think it is more of the crisis in my community because this is not the first time I being attacked by these same boys,” he said.
However, when contacted, Hon Ngo denied sponsoring the youths, attributing the incident to the chieftaincy crisis in his community.

“You should know by now that I am not a violent man and would not sponsor any youth to unleash terror on anyone. I believe in the sanctity of life. I also believe that no cause is worth shedding the blood of any other person.
“The situation in my village is rather unfortunate. The crisis in my village dates back to 2011 when chieftaincy issues polarised it,” he stated.
The police in the state were yet to confirm the incident as at the time of filing this report.