The ever rising state of insecurity in Rivers State seems to have no solution. No day passes without reports of cult-related killings and clashes, kidnapping and armed robbery in communities and major towns in the state. Just last Friday, men of the State Police Command gunned down two suspected armed robbers at the popular Casablanca…
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The ever rising state of insecurity in Rivers State seems to have no solution. No day passes without reports of cult-related killings and clashes, kidnapping and armed robbery in communities and major towns in the state.
Just last Friday, men of the State Police Command gunned down two suspected armed robbers at the popular Casablanca area of GRA Phase Three in Port Harcourt. They recovered several arms and ammunition.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad Kidaya Muhammad, a deputy superintendent of Police (DSP), the two suspected robbers had trailed a bank customer and robbed him of the money he had in his possession.
That feat achieved by the police could be described as one success in the midst of several failures by security agencies to reduce crime and criminality in the state.
In the Diobu area, a densely populated part of Port Harcourt, the state capital, broad daylight robbery occur on daily basis. Innocent persons, especially women who go to do business at Mile One axis, along the ever-busy Ikwerre Road, are usually robbed of their personal belongings, despite the presence of at least two police posts there.
Recently, The Nigerian Army paraded 17 suspected cultists and armed robbers who were allegedly arrested for their involvement in several killings and armed robbery in the state. According to the
Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain Eli Lazarus, the suspects were arrested during some operations carried out by soldiers at Ahoada East Local Government Area, Ogbogoro community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area; Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area and Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
Lazarus stated that several arms and live ammunitions were seized during its raid which was aimed at stopping the current wave of killings and armed robbery in the state.
He said, “following the heightened criminal activities, the 2 Brigade of Nigerian Army conducted several raid operations on criminals and cultists’ hideouts in the state. These operations led to the recovery of several weapons including 16 AK 47 rifles, five General Purpose Machine guns and two Fabrique National rifles.
“Others are six Pump Action rifles, three G-3 rifles, 11 Short Dane guns, six locally made pistols, two Beretta pistols, two Revolver pistols and nine pieces of dynamite. The operations were conducted at Ahoada East, Ogbogoro community in Obio/Akpor local government area; Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Isiokpo in Ikwerre LGA.”
Last Thursday, at about 7:30pm, unknown gunmen kidnapped an independent marketer of petroleum products, Mrs Joy Dagogo-Jack, from her office along Aggrey Road, Port Harcourt, few poles from the Port Harcourt Area Command headquarters of the Nigeria Police, the Central Police Station and the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) headquarters.
On that same Thursday, suspected cultists numbering about five killed and beheaded a young man identified as Chukwuma Woko, popularly known as Fela, in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state.
It was gathered that the assailants stormed the residence of their victim around 8:00pm and shot him dead, after which he was beheaded.
A source in the community who pleaded for anonymity, said that late Woko, a suspected member of the Sailor Fraternity, until his death, allegedly traded hard drugs, adding that his death may not be unconnected to cultism or his trade.
Last Tuesday, two security men attached to the Rivers State Judiciary were hacked to death, while another one was injured and hospitalised after some unknown persons attacked their duty post at the State High Court Complex, Port Harcourt.
In the early hours of that Monday, five policemen, including a DSP named Nasiru Halidu, were killed by unknown gunmen along the East-West Road at Okogbe community in Ahoada-East Local Government Area of the state.
The five policemen, belonging to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 30, Yenagoa, were on their way from Yobe State to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital when they were ambushed and killed by the gunmen.
On that same Monday night, unknown gunmen shot and killed a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Mr. Charles Etukpor, and two others in Bori, headquarters of Khana local government area of the state. It was gathered the trio were shot dead by the gunmen, who were riding on a motorcycle along the popular Polytechnic Road in the traditional headquarters of Ogoni ethnic nationality.
Etukpor,until his untimely death was a staunch supporter of Abe and a staff of the Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, while one of the two others, identified as Nekabari is a member of APC in Ward 1, Khana local government area of the state.
On Saturday night, two persons were killed while several others were injured when masked gunmen allegedly attacked a crowd of persons who gathered for a burial at Bakana community in Degema local government area of the state.
The traditional ruler of Bakana community in Degema local government area, HRH Oneye Odum Gbaboi, who confirmed the killing of the two persons, said his son was also among those attacked by the gunmen.
On May 1, 2016, no fewer than 20 persons were killed, with the heads of five of them cut off, by suspected cultists at Ula-Upata and Edoha communities in Ahoada-East local government area of the state.
A source said the gunmen invaded the communities at about 1:00pm, shooting indiscriminately at people, adding that the gunmen attacked Ula-Upata communities twice.
The source stated that at their first attack, the gunmen reportedly killed 12 persons, and returned around 9pm during which two more persons were killed. It was further learnt that the gunmen thereafter moved to Edoha, a nearby village, where they beheaded five persons, and made away with their heads, while the bodies were left on the road.
Between Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April 29, 2016, no fewer than nine persons were feared killed in three communities in the state by suspected cultists.
Also, within the same period, three persons, of which two were women, were kidnapped along the Port Harcourt-Bakana waterway, when suspected pirates attacked a passenger boat travelling from Bakana community in Degema local government area of the state to Port Harcourt.
It was gathered that no fewer than seven persons were killed by suspected cultists at Idu and Ogbogu communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state on Thursday night.
The attack on Idu and Ogbogu communities came the same day a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Lucky Ajie, was murdered in his compound at Okposi community, also in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state by yet to be identified gunmen.
Also, two persons were killed in the early hours of yesterday while no fewer than 10 houses were burnt by suspected cultists who invaded Okwale community in Khana local government area of the state.
The chief security officer of Okwale community, Linus Dick, who confirmed the attack on the community, said the conflict started on Friday night when two rival cult groups clashed at a burial ground. The incident had forced residents of the community to desert their homes for fear of attacks by the cultists.
Dick said, “At about 5:00am this morning (yesterday), some cult boys came into the community and started burning houses. Two people are dead and about 10 houses have been burnt down in the community. There was a burial in the community last night and the cult boys had problem amongst themselves at the burial ground.
“So, this morning, they started burning houses. We are calling on the security agencies to come to our aid; the community people have ran for their safety. As I speak with you now, nobody is in the community because everybody is scared. I can confirm to you that there is no single soul in this community again.”
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