The Rivers State Enumeration Team for Development of Waterfronts in Port Harcourt was Tuesday, reportedly attacked by Ogu Waterfront residents in Port Harcourt.
The Tide learnt that three mobile policemen were disarmed, while some of the workers sustained serious injuries during the attack.
The team was attacked at about 10.30 a.m., when it visited the area to mark buildings for demolition and compensation as the state government maintained its stand to demolish structures at waterfronts to pave way for development of the crime-prone areas.
The Tide gathered that the residents in the area including youths and women were violent to the team thereby foiling the day’s enumeration exercise in the area.
It was further learnt that gunshots were fired into the air by the police which made youths in the area to disarm three policemen attached to the team.
When contacted, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Rita Inoma-Abbey, said she was not informed of the incident as at the time of filing this story.
However, police officers (names withheld) at the State Command headquarters confirmed the incident.
Effort to confirm it from the Commissioner for Urban Development in the state also proved abortive.
In a related development, women residents of the waterfronts in old Port Harcourt Township Tuesday, demonstrated peacefully to the state Government House and the state House of Assembly against government’s stand to demolish waterfronts in Port Harcourt.
According to their spokesperson, Mrs. Tamuno Appolus, a new satellite village with structures to accommodate all residents of waterfronts in Port Harcourt should be built for relocation of waterfronts dwellers before the demolition exercise. According to her, payment would not solve unforeseen accommodation problems of waterfront residents, particularly those fishermen and women there.
She called on the leadership in the state to have a re-think on the waterfronts demolition exercise before executing it.