CONFU-SION reigned at Abonnema town and neighbouring communities in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State, weekend, as over 10,000 residents fled the troubled areas, following the killing of two soldiers by gunmen.
Reports from the area said soldiers locked down the Abonnema waterways yesterday, over the incident, forestalling movement by boat in the entire local government area. No fewer than 5,000 panic-stricken residents, including mothers and children, trekked from the community to neighboring towns, sparking fears of humanitarian crisis.
On February 23, during the presidential and National Assembly elections, suspected hooligans shot dead a Lieutenant, leading to the killing of over 10 persons by security agents.
However, late Saturday, thousands of women drawn from different communities in the local government area, stormed the palace of the Amanyanabo of Abonnema Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, alleging that soldiers massacred over 30 persons and called for barring of soldiers from the community during elections.
The protesting women said soldiers should not be deployed in the area for the March 9 governorship and state House of Assembly elections, but in a counter demonstration, a different group of women insisted on military presence in the area during elections to moderate activities of bandits.
