Suspected political thugs on Saturday disrupted the planned opening of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secretariat in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
According to reports, the attackers stormed the venue of the event, forcing party supporters to flee while destroying canopies, loudspeakers, chairs and other equipment arranged for the ceremony.
A video circulating on social media showed a group of youths dismantling the event setup while shouting that the ADC would not be allowed to operate in the council area.
In the footage, a man believed to be leading the group was heard instructing others to scatter the equipment, claiming that the party was nowhere to be found when the All Progressives Congress (APC) was working to develop the council area.
Confirming the incident, the Cross River State Police Command described those involved in the disruption as hoodlums and said security operatives were deployed to restore order.
The commandโs spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said the incident occurred shortly before the event was due to begin.
He explained that the gathering was about to commence when the attackers suddenly appeared and scattered the canopies, chairs and sound systems arranged for the ceremony.
Eitokpah added that the situation had since been brought under control in order to prevent it from escalating into a wider crisis.
According to him, police officers and tactical teams were deployed to the area to maintain security following the disruption.
He, however, noted that no arrests had been made at the time due to the chaotic nature of the situation and the volatile environment in which the incident occurred.
The disruption forced organisers to suspend the event.
The incident came just days after a similar disruption reportedly occurred during the partyโs activity in Calabar earlier in the week.
