The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a lawyer in connection with a shooting that occurred during a masquerade outing in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, leaving one person dead and eight others injured.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, saying the incident followed a confrontation between masqueraders, the lawyer and operatives of the Nigeria Forest Guards.
According to the police, the clash happened in the early hours of Monday along Sambo Street, Omoku, when youths participating in a masquerade procession reportedly had an altercation with Barrister Akpudi Ikechukwu and four Forest Guards personnel.
The situation, the police said, later degenerated into violence, during which nine members of the masquerade group sustained gunshot injuries.
Iringe-Koko said one of the victims, identified simply as Obulo, was confirmed dead at a hospital in Omoku, while eight others are currently receiving treatment at the same facility.
She added that the lawyer and two other suspects connected to the incident have been arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
The police spokesperson noted that preliminary inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine the degree of responsibility of all those involved.
She also said the Area Commander had met with aggrieved youths in the community to douse tension, while joint patrols by the police and the military have been deployed in the area to maintain peace and safeguard lives and property.