At least six persons are being held in police custody,following sharp disagreements between youthful elements drawn from Bille and Krakrama communities which reportedly turned violent.
They are being questioned over their alleged role in the conflict which created pandermonium within the Rivers State Secretariat Complex last week.
The State Government had invited representatives of Bille and Krakrama communities to a meeting which was designed to find a way towards resolving spiralling tension between them.
Infact, growing restiveness between the two Kalabari communities have been reported at a point controlled by an oil prospecting firm.
We have learnt that both sides are laying claims and counter claims to the oil bearing strip which is being operated by the prospecting firm.
Accordingly, the Rivers State Government mandated its top officials to weigh in on the matter and find lasting solutions to the impending crisis through negotiations.
Trouble broke out after both parties disagreed at the meeting and resorted to self help in the presence of mediating officials, a situation which eventually resulted in serious shooting and tension.
A police detachment drawn from Government House was quickly drafted in to quell the ugly face-off between armed gangs.
The sudden emergence of “community gangs” within a working environment generated panic among civil servants and other users of the government complex who took to their heels.