Police barricade Rivers Assembly and disperse lawmakers with teargas

Rivers lawmakers sitting in the open

Confusion once again enveloped the Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday as the police stormed the Assembly complex, shooting live ammunition and firing teargas canisters to disperse the sitting of 25 lawmakers loyal to the State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.

25 out of the 26 members of the house had converged on the assembly earlier on Thursday to sit in compliance with a High Court order barring the National Assembly from taking over the functions of the assembly.

Amidst reports of a plan by six members to begin an impeachment proceedings against Governor Rotimi Amaechi, 25 of the 26 members said to be loyal to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, had converged at the Assembly today to sit in compliance with the court order. But the police barred them from entering the chambers.

While the lawmakers insisted on entering their official place of work, the Police claimed that it had not been served with any authorising letter to permit them to enter into the premises.

The lawmakers resumed plenary on the road, but were chased out of the place by the police with tear gas.

Meanwhile, Evans Bipi, who leads a minority of 5 members and who parades himself as speaker of the assembly, has said that “As the Speaker of The Rivers House of Assembly, I have not reconvened the House as the Court Judgment has not been served to the Police and other security agencies. All the so-called Governor Amaechi lawmakers have all been suspended by me and by Peoples Democratic Party. They cannot function until I called them back. Amaechi must recognize me as the authentic Speaker. But we must stop him from using Rivers money to sponsor APC,” he boasted on a live radio station today.