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The Rivers police command has denied firing tear gas at peaceful protesters in the state.
Earlier on Monday, demonstrators converged at the Isaac Boro Park in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, to protest against the emergency rule in Rivers and the alleged abuse of the cybercrime act by the police.
The demonstrators, who are members of the ‘Take It Back Movement’, arrived at the protest venue as early as 9 am when police officers showed up to send them scampering in different directions with tear gas canisters.
Videos of police firing tear gas at protesters have since gone viral.
But in a statement, Grace Iringe-Koko, police spokesperson in Rivers, claimed that officers did not fire tear gas at the protesters.
Iringe-Koko said the police drove off “criminals and miscreants” from stealing valuables from the public instead.
“The Command wishes to categorically clarify that the report is unfounded. Upon receiving intelligence regarding the protest, our officers were promptly deployed to the specified locations,” the statement reads.
“On arrival, a group of miscreants was observed engaging in criminal acts, including the theft of mobile phones and other valuables from unsuspecting members of the public. Our operatives responded swiftly, dispersing the individuals.”
Iringe-Koko claimed that reports that police shot at protesters were intended to “incite public anxiety and create unnecessary tension within the state”.
