Rivers: A State Ravaged By Cultists

Rivers State has become one big theatre of cult activities. Every community at the moment seems to have a cult garrison. Killing, kidnapping and every other anti-social activity are their ways of life. ANAYO ONUKWUGHA writes.

Cultism related crimes, particularly murders in Rivers State, cannot be said to have started of recent. The killings sometimes come as a result of clashes between cult groups and at other times, when a particular cult group raids an opponents stronghold.

Between January and now, no fewer than 46 persons have been killed in cult- related clashes in different communities in the state. In many occasions, these clashes have been between Deygbam and Deywell cult groups or Icelanders and Greenlanders cult groups as the case may be.

Only on Monday, March 7, 2016, one person, identified as Ofinijite Amaechree, popularly known as ‘Kalampo’, was burnt to death in Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru local government area of the state.

Although some politicians in the local government area attached the killing to politics, considering the fact that the victim was a stalwart of one of the leading political parties in the state, there are serious claims by residents of the community that the murder was cult-related.

Less than 48 hours before the killing of Kalambo, unknown gunmen suspected to be cultists killed and beheaded the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 4, Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, Mr Franklin Obi.

The assailants, who invaded the Obi’ residence, along Rutachi Street, Omoku, at about 9:00pm on Saturday, March 5, also murdered his wife, Ihuoma Obi and their 18-year old son, Bestman.

Sources said that the some of the hoodlums were seen by some members of the community before the incident, even as the teenage daughter of the deceased, named Victory, who witness the incident, said she saw how the hoodlums cut off her father’s head and took it away.

On February 28, 2016, suspected cultists invaded Unyangala Community in Andoni local government area of the state and killed no fewer than three persons.

The caretaker committee chairman of Andoni local government council, Hon Ere Victor, who confirmed the ugly development, imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in Ngo Town, the council headquarters, Oyorokoto, the largest fishing settlement in the state, and other adjourning communities.

Ere said the curfew was part of measures to stop further killings and possible reprisals, and called on security agents in the area to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

On February 23, no fewer than 10 persons were feared killed on Monday evening when soldiers and suspected members of a cult group clashed in Yeghe Community in Gokana local government area, as well as in Bori and Zaakpon communities in Khana local government area of the state.

The clash led to the burning down of the liaison office of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Rivers South-east senatorial district, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, in Bori, and the family house of former Niger Delta militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara in Yeghe Community.

Although, the deputy director, Army Public Relations, 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Captain Eli Lazarus could not confirm the reason for the clash as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the soldiers were in Yeghe Community in search of Ndigbara before the suspected cult members confronted them.

It was furthered gathered that hoodlums in apparent revenge for the invasion of Yeghe Community by the soldiers, threw explosives suspected to be dynamite into Abe’s liaison office, located in the neighbouring Bori Community and burnt the one-storey edifice down.

In a swift reaction, the Commander, 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Brigadier General Stephenson Olabanji, said contrary to accusations in some quarters that the army was being sponsored by some political chieftains in the area, the army moved in after receiving information of heavy shooting in the area on that fateful day.

Olabanji said, “Nobody should accuse the army of being used by any group for their own interest of whatever political interest. Nobody will use the Nigerian Army or personnel of the Nigerian Army to further their own selfish interest.

“We received calls of firing in a community in Gokana; immediately, I dispatched my commanding officer to go and see what was going on within the community.” He pointed out that the army will remain in the area until normalcy returns.

No fewer than 25 persons were killed on February 12, 2016, when unknown gunmen suspected to be cultists invaded Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state. About 10 of the victims had their heads chopped off by their assailants.

It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering over 50 and armed with dangerous weapons, including AK-47 rifles and matchetes, came into the crisis-ridden community at about 7:00pm and began shooting sporadically, a development that caused confusion within the area.

It was further gathered that while some indigenes of the area ran to nearby bushes and neighbouring villages, others had continued to stay indoors more than 12 hours after the incident occurred.

A source in the community stated that some of the unknown gunmen marched from house to house and scared residents with their intermittent, but deafening gunshots.

The source disclosed that among those killed were a couple and two brothers from the same parents while half of those killed were beheaded. Some of the areas in Omoku that came under attack by the gunmen were Sabo Road, Odieti Quarters, Usoniri Quarters and Obakata Quarters.

Less than 24 hours before the Omoku massacre, unknown gunmen killed a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Monday Eleanya, who is also an indigene of Omoku, in front of his residence along Ada-George Road in Port Harcourt.

On January 20, 2016, unknown gunmen, suspected to be cultists invaded Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State, killing no fewer than three persons and burning down several houses.

The attack on Isiokpo came barely 12 hours after suspected cultists killed no fewer than 16 persons in Ula-Upata Community in Ahoada-east local government area of the state, and two other neighbouring communities in Ahoada-west local government area of the state.

Apparently worried by these ugly developments, Rivers State Governor, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, on February 14, 2016, banned the operation of commercial motorcyclists, popularly called ‘okada’ between 5:00 pm. and 8:00am daily in four local government areas of the state.

The affected local government areas include, Abua/Odual, Ahoada-east, Ahoada-west and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.