Pre-election violence: 20 killed in Rivers, epidemic looms

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi
 

The Rivers State Government on Tuesday raised the alarm over the spate of pre-election violence in the state in recent times, saying over 20 people have been confirmed dead.

The development, it said, has become an epidemic for the health sector to manage.

The government disclosed that statistics from Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital and Kelsey Harrison Hospital between January and March 12, 2015 revealed that 41 casualties were treated for gunshot injuries while 26 others were treated for machete wounds.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Samson Parker, who raised the alarm in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said that the number of casualties attended to by the various healthcare facilities across the state between January and February this year has become a source of worry for the Ministry of Health.

He said many deaths that have occurred during clashes between members of different political parties have gone unreported.

He noted that the state has “recorded over 20 deaths in the last couple of months due to violent clashes across the state.”

Parker said, “It behoves on me at this time to announce to the people of Rivers State the emergence of a new epidemic. There is an epidemic of political violence going on in Rivers State. At the Ministry of Health, my colleagues and I toil daily to ensure that we provide services, given available resources, in healthcare delivery.