A previously peaceful hunger protest in Ughelli, located in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, escalated into violence on Friday after police stationed at the Otovwodo axis of the East-West Road allegedly shot and injured a protester who has yet to be identified.
The shooting incident sparked outrage among the protesters, who responded by burning tires and pelting local government officials with sachets of water.
For the second consecutive day, the protesters gathered at the popular Otovwodo junction, creating significant traffic disruptions on the East-West Road. Travelers heading from Benin to Port Harcourt and other parts of the Eastern region were stranded for several hours.
Following the alleged police shooting, tensions escalated as the protesters, including market women, forcefully confronted the Chairman of Ughelli North LGA, Jaro Egbo, when his motorcade was spotted at the scene. Egbo narrowly escaped being attacked by the angry crowd, who accused him of instructing his aides to disband the protest.
However, Efe Ekete, the press secretary to the Council Chairman, denied these allegations, stating that Egbo had come to the scene to appeal to the protesters not to confront the security forces.
One protester, who requested anonymity, told journalists that the protesters “were not carrying anything dangerous except for placards when the police intercepted them and began shooting tear gas.”
“As they were driving away, the police opened fire on the protesters, and one person was hit in the chest,” the source alleged. The injured protester was subsequently rushed to a hospital by security personnel.
A local human rights activist, identified as Comrade Silver, criticized the actions of the police from ‘A’ Division, Ughelli, and the Ughelli Police Area Command for their role in the incident.
“I urged the protesters not to disrupt the Otovwodo market, especially since today was a market day and there was a risk of hoodlums taking advantage of the situation to harass market women and loot goods,” Silver said. “Despite this, I witnessed police officers chasing a car, tear-gassing the occupants, and attempting to arrest them. The market women and protesters resisted, leading to the police firing tear gas and live bullets.”
Silver further explained that he later accompanied the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to the police station, where a detained protester was released, temporarily restoring calm.
Silver also mentioned that he had heard reports of a protester being shot and taken to the hospital by the military, though he did not witness the incident personally.
When contacted, Bukar Dabo, the leader of the military personnel deployed to Otovwodo junction, stated that he did not witness any shooting by the police, contrary to some claims.
