By Precious Ahiakwo
In a brazen daylight assault, terror struck at polling unit 051, Ward 6, near YKC roundabout as gunmen in black stormed the area in a convoy of 12 vehicles around 12:45 pm, unleashing chaos and horror. The heavily armed attackers fired gunshots into the sky and launched canisters, creating a terrifying scene that forced voters to flee for their lives. The assailants snatched up critical voting materials, leaving behind only the result sheets as fear and disorder rippled through the crowd.
Screams echoed as panic-stricken voters scrambled for safety, some tripping and sustaining injuries amid the turmoil, while others were struck by canisters hurled by the assailants. The bustling Kilimanjaro fast food building nearby, once filled with the sounds of daily life, now bears the scars of violence—canister dents etched on its walls, chilling reminders of the chaos.
Eyewitnesses, still trembling with fear, narrated their gut-wrenching experiences. “I don’t think I can ever come out to vote again,” one voter, visibly shaken, said. “It was like a nightmare; we were just trying to do our civic duty.”
For many, the traumatic scenes of gunmen driving in like shadows of fear, the explosive canisters, and the cries of frightened citizens have turned their hope for a fair election into dread. The promise of democracy now lies in the balance, overshadowed by violence and intimidation. Will people dare to vote again? Or has the voice of the people been silenced by terror?
