Women protesting and those shot and stabbed in Ward 5 in Opolo

… Angry women in peaceful protest call for cancellation of election in Ward 5

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

At least three persons were either shot or stabbed in Opolo Ward 5 in Yenagoa during the election today.

Those injured have been rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa for treatment.

Our Correspondent ran into women in peaceful protest against an alleged invasion of various polling units by party thugs carrying dangerous weapons, shooting sporadically.

The women carried various placards with various inscriptions: “No elections in Ward 5″,”Federal Government Come to our aid”,”We have been denied our rights to vote in Ward 5″,etc.

Doris,one of the leaders of the protesting women, told our Correspondent that one Pere and another person simply called Prince were shot, while an elderly man was stabbed on the leg.

The women were protesting in the presence of the Police at the time our Correspondent ran into them.

They accused security agents for allegedly giving covers to the rampaging armed thugs to chase out those they felt would not vote for their preferred candidate.

Also, there were  skermishes at Agudama Epie Unit 9 Ward 4 when a suspected party agent was chased away and was nearly mobbed until Policemen on patrol rescued him.

A mild drama ensured when the photos that our Correspondent took while the Party Agent was being rescued by  a team of Policemen led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police,ASP, was  forcefully deleted by the Policemen who initially seized his mobile phone but released after appeals.

The Policemen said although they were captured on camera rescuing the Party Agent as part of their duty,they don’t want to be captured on camera.

“We didn’t say you should not do your job as journalists because I am doing mine by rescuing the Party Agent, but don’t take my picture”the Police Sergeant capture on camera.

In Toru-Orua in Sagbama Local government area, Governor Seriake Dickson could not vote as scheduled because his polling unit was submerged by flood. An ad-hoc arrangements was made for him and his wife to vote.

After casting his vote he complained of reported cases of violence in some parts of the state.

In Tombia and Amassoma,the village of the late Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, the former Governor of Bayelsa State visited by our Correspondent, election was peaceful.