At least seven persons have been killed in the course of today’s parliamentary rerun elections taking place in all the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.

Although the identities of the victims or the persons who that them had not been established, it was gathered that one of the dead victims was an immigration officer serving in the state.

According to sources, the deceased was reportedly killed at Abalama in Asari Toru Local Government Area of the state when unknown gunmen opened fire on the people.

At Eleme Local Government Area, four persons were killed, while one was killed in Nonwa, Tai LGA.

One person was also shot dead at Ogboloko community in Abua/Odual LGA of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the legislative elections in six local government areas. INEC’s decision, according to the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Aniedi Ikoikwak, followed reported cases of violence and other hitches witnessed in some parts of the state including Andoni, Bonny, Gokana, Khana, Eleme and Tai local councils, where the exercise has been suspended.

No date has been fixed for the rerun elections in the affected areas.

A statement by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state alleged that soldiers of the Nigerian Army led by Magnus Abe to the INEC centres in Gokana and KHana Local Government Areas beat the state Commissioner for Environment, Professor Roseline Konya, to a state of coma.

“The Secretary to the State Government, Hon Kenneth Kobani, Special Adviser on Special Projects to the State Governor, Hon Cyril Dum Wite, and over 2000 PDP across the State have been beaten, arrested and detained by the Nigerian Army, drafted to conduct the election by Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Magnus Abe and the APC,” Jerry Needam, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Rivers PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, said in a statement.

Bro Obuah in the statement berated the Nigerian Army for disobeying “two separate court orders, restraining them from participating in Rivers re-run election and in Rivers South East Senatorial District of the state.”

He called on INEC “to cancel Rivers re-run election in Tai, Oyigbo, Gokana, Khana and all other Local Government Areas of the State, where soldiers of the Nigerian Army connived with the APC to hijack electoral materials, kill, main, destroy properties, arrest and detain PDP members.”