No fewer than eight people were yesterday gunned down in
Ibaa Community in Emohua Local Government Area in Rivers State.
Four of the
victims were reportedly beheaded and their heads taken away by the rampaging
cultists. A resident of the community, who did not want his name in print for
security reasons said the incident was a reprisal attack.”
According to him,
the cult members who are members of Deygbam cult visited the community around 3
a.m, to avenge the death of their member who was killed by the Icelanders, last
month.
“They killed over eight people. Four of their victims were beheaded.
We were terrified when the cultists stormed our area but
the cultists allayed our fears saying that we should not run that they knew the
people they were looking for. “We are calling on the state government and
security operatives in the state to send security personnel and restore peace
in the troubled community.”
Efforts to reach the Community Development Committee
(CDC) chairman of Ibaa, proved abortive as his mobile number was not reachable
at press time.
The elected All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman of
the local government, Hon. Lucky Worluh, who was sacked by Governor Nyesom
Wike, said two days before the recent incident, there was open shooting in the
area. He said cultists have taken over Emohua area, alleging that the present
administration had not been giving security allocation to the LGA caretaker
committee chairmen in the state. Worluh said: “All we need now is immediate
security mobilization of the area.
The people are living in fear and the government is not
doing anything to assist the people. The area is underdeveloped and he is yet
to show any concern. “Those given amnesty should be empowered and settled.You
cannot claim to have given somebody amnesty without empowering the person.
Wike should empower the boys.” However, the Public
Relations Officers of the Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said
personnel of the command had been drafted to the community to restore normalcy.
Omoni confirmed that it was cult reprisal that led to the
killings, adding that the number of casualties had not been ascertained. Omoni
said: “Cultists invaded the community today and killed some people believed to
be rival cultists in reprisal. It is a cult related incident. The police are
aware of it. The Commissioner of Police in the state has mobilised personnel to
th
e community to restore peace and smoke out the perpetrators of the act.”
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Society