Rivers crisis: Monarch shoots son, 5 others in Port Harcourt

 

According to View. Bloody clash was yesterday, averted by the police, as violence erupted in a community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, where a reportedly dethroned traditional ruler (name withheld) allegedly shot six persons, including his son.
At the end of the fracas, two sons of the  traditional ruler and five others were lying  critically ill in the hospital.
It was gathered that the first son, Ndidi, allegedly shot by the monarch, had seven bullets in his body. The second son, Endurance, whose Toyota Camry car was destroyed, had a machete cut on his head. The palace of the monarch was also torched by angry youths.No fewer than seven police vehicles with armed anti-riot policemen, were positioned at strategic places.

At the centre of the crisis were the allegedly dethroned traditional ruler of the community and staunch supporter of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, and members of the community.
It was alleged that the violence was orchestrated by supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But one of the community youths, ruled out any political undertone in the mayhem.
He alleged that the reportedly dethroned monarch had imported some hoodlums to disrupt their annual cultural festival,  billed to hold yesterday in the state capital.
Incidentally, according to the source, the monarch, who still regards himself as the authentic king of the community, fixed a town hall meeting, where Governor Amaechi would be the guest of honour.
Melchizedek said: “The community does not recognise him as a traditional ruler and we wonder why anybody would fix another programme within the period of the festival.
“Meanwhile, the canopies we put here the previous night, for the festival were destroyed. And these ones were fixed this morning.”