The Rivers State Police Command has begun investigations and search of suspected gunmen who invaded Abaripo community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, killing one person and razed two houses.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko in a telephone chat, confirmed the news to our correspondent.
She also confirmed that one person was killed, adding that a manhunt had begun to track those behind the attack.
The gunmen suspected to be cultists had invaded the community on Tuesday night, killing one person and setting two houses ablaze.
This attack comes just one week after a suspected cultist, popularly known as Baddo, was killed in Ogbo community, also in Ahoada East LGA.
Though details of the incident were sketchy as of the time of filing this report but it was gathered that the attack was a reprisal by one of the cult groups.
A community source, who pleaded anonymity for fear of his life, told newsmen that the leader of the cult group, allegedly responsible for the attack, reportedly warned natives not to speak to the media or be ready to face the consequences.
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To this effect, some stakeholders in the community had declined comments when contacted by newsmen.
According to findings, suspected cult groups from ‘Greenlanders’ and ‘Icelanders’ have been engaged in supremacy battle and territory control in some communities in Ahoada East LGA in the last three weeks.
Briefing newsmen, the Rivers PPRO, DSP Iringe-Koko said, “Only one person died. A manhunt has begun to apprehend the culprits and bring them to book. But as we speak, investigation is ongoing and normalcy has been restored in the area.”
Recall that members of disbanded OSPAC (local vigilance) group in Obelle town in Emohua Local Area had allegedly set ablaze the house of Chief Israel Anele a former acting Chairman of Community Development Community (CDC) in the community and ex-Divisional Police Officer (DPO).
Anele in a Telephone interview with our reporter stated that the disbanded OSPAC members were led by one ‘Naked Wire’ who was recently accused by the Emohua Council Chairman, Chidi Lloyd of being responsible for some of the killings in Ibaa and Obelle town.
