There was a twist to the scenerio that led to the death of a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, khana council collation agent, Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, during the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 23, 2019.
An ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Marvin Kpia-ue, yesterday, alleged that the commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) ordered the shooting at a collation centre in Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State that led to the death of Gberegbe.
Kpia-ue, who served as a registration area centre technical support staff, in charge of results e-collation at Khana council collation centre, told a Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the violence and killings that occurred during the general elections in Rivers State, on February 23 and March 9 respectively, that the shooting, which took place at Khana council collation centre, was carried out by the police.
“An uproar started, when a lightly tinted Hilux van drove into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) premises conveying F-SARS men. At that point, a warning tape that was used to barricade everyone from the collation centre was removed.
“Then, the unarmed civilians there started an outcry, shouting ‘Akin Fakorede, you have come to subvert the will of the people. It will not work; this is Ogoniland.
“I saw one F-SARS officer approached the passenger’s side of the van, put his head into the vehicle and was whispered to by his boss. The next thing I heard was sporadic gunshots by the F-SARS officers,” he said.
The ad hoc staff disclosed that there was pandemonium and he noticed that the PDP agent fell down shouting in pain, after being hit by a bullet on his lower abdomen.
“While I was running because of the shooting for safety, I saw the late Gberegbe fell to the ground. While I tried to help him, I noticed I was also shot on my right thigh.
“While he was shouting in pain and holding his stomach, he (Gberegbe) removed his hand on the place he was shot and I saw the bullet hole.
“Afterwards, I was rushing to a hospital in Bori, Khana and was later taken to Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital where Dr. Nsirim took charge of my case.”
