PANDEMONIUM broke out in Bomadi community in Delta State, during the week, when some youths, protesting against the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for  plunging them into darkness for two years running were injured by security agents, who shot into the air to scare them away.

Reports from Bomadi said PHCN electric cables in the community were vandalized two years ago and since then, the people have been living without electricity. It was gathered that tension gripped the community following the shooting incident,  as little children were among those injured.

A source said some of the protesting youths dived into the river to escape gun shots. Spokesperson of the youth group, Mr. Ebigba Omoun told Vanguard, “We went peacefully with placards to the council headquarters to appeal to the chairman to carry our demand for electricity to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. We also need drinkable water in Bomadi as well as drainages in Bomadi without which our homes are caving in to floods of Tsunami proportions, so we least expected the kind of treatment from security agents”.

According to him, the youth group contacted the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger_Delta area before the protest and he was surprised that soldiers opened fire during the protest.

The council chairman, Hon. Kelly Penawou, who the youths accused of conscripting the soldiers to the scene, reportedly, defended the action of soldiers who he said, had to shoot into the air as they were getting violent.

He said he had “stepped in twice to fix the vandalized cables” , adding that he was  surprised the PHCN cables passed through the bridge “instead of through overhead towers as stipulated in  the initial contract”.

A source said that one of those who led the protest was an ex_militant leader and security agents repelled the youths because the protest was taking a violent demonstration.