There was sporadic shooting at the Secretariat of the Port Harcourt City Council, on Tuesday, as youths stormed the secretariat in protest over what they termed extension of tenure by the council chairmen.
The gunshots were said to be fired by the police to disperse the rampaging youth.
The youths said they were at the secretariat to carry out a peaceful demonstration against the immediate past local government council chairmen whom they claimed had refused to vacate office after the expiration of their respective tenures of office.
A spokesperson of the group said immediately the police sighted them, they started shooting at them.
He claimed that the protesters were Ijaw youth and their angst was against those whose tenure had expired but who had allegedly said they will not vacate office
Also speaking, leader of Port Harcourt City youths, Allwell Ichemanti, said one of the youths was shot by the police.
He accused the immediate past chairman of the council of inviting the police to attack them.
The gunshots caused pandemonium along the stretch of the council Secretariat adjacent to both the state police command headquarters and Rivers State House of Assembly as residents and passersby scampered for safety.
Efforts made to speak with State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko, proved abortive as her phone was switched off but the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier said men of the command had been deployed in various councils to maintain the peace.
