Nigerian News Beat

On Monday there was a fracas in the Rivers state House of Assembly over who controls the House.  Yesterday, it  escalated into the streets, leaving several people injured. 

At the heart of the situation are 27 legislators loyal to Governor Rotimi Amaechi and five others belonging to the opposition.

The street fight attracted thugs who descended on pro-Amaechi  supporters, forcing them to retreat into Government House in Port Harcourt.

The seat of government in the state did not prove to be safe as policemen in hot pursuit of the pro-Amaechi supporters kept on shotting canisters of tear gas into the fence of the seat of power, peppering government officials holed inside the complex. The chaos provoked by the mayhem forced banks, the state secretariat and the judiciary to hurriedly close shops.

The crisis in Rivers state took another shape with the House of Representatives taking over the legislative responsibilities of the Rivers Assembly while the Police high command said it would investigate activities of its men in the state. The House also adopted a resolution for the removal of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu Joseph.

However, the Senate, in an equally emotive session, stopped short of the resolutions adopted by the House but called on Police authorities to reconcile Mr. Mbu with the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi.  Nonetheless, the two factions in the Rivers State House of Assembly remained dogged in their positions yesterday as they clashed on second day.