Police, Civil Defense, Exchange Blows At Enugu Stadium During President Jonathan’s Visit

It was a shocking display of inter-agency tensions that surfaced during President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Enugu

Some members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, posted as part of the security detail at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, at Enugu, got into a fight with fellow officers. The surprising fracas took place at the venue of the Southeast rally of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP.)
It was there where some members of the NSCDC had exchanged blows with some policemen early this morning. The incident, which took place near the VIP pavilion led to an exchange of blows between members of the two security agencies, while the State Security Services, SSS, stepped in and worked to separate and reconcile the two parties. President Goodluck Jonathan, and the National Working Committee of the party, Governors, and other PDP leaders are expected at the rally. The members of the local police unit decried what they called “unnecessary intimidation” from the NSCDC. “We are here to do the same job of security. So they should stop chasing us away with their guns. What if we were not trained like them, and we decided to chase them back with our own more sophisticated weapons, can they withstand it?” Said one local police officer moments after the fracas ended who told a group of pressmen in confidence about the tension between the two police agencies. At press time the Southeast rally of the Peoples Democratic Party continued, with the delegation of elected officials, including President Jonathan, expected to participate.