Rivers: Gunmen kill two in suspected cult clashes

Two people have been killed in separate cult clashes in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

One of the victims was identified only as Michael, a porter in the Railway Market, Diobu.

While Michael died in the market, the other victim was reportedly killed in a reprisal.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Michael was killed around 1pm on Wednesday.

The assailants were said to have shot continously into the air to scare away traders before attacking their target.

It was gathered that the late Michael left behind a pregnant girlfriend and an 11-month-old child.

A trader said the victim worked and lived in the market.

The trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We fled to safety when we started to hear gunshots. When we returned to our shops later, we heard that a boy named Michael had been killed. We saw his corpse.

“Michael should be in his late 20s. He lived and worked here in Railway Market, carrying load for traders. Two other people with him were injured by the cultists. One of them was cut in the head, while the other’s hand was chopped off.”

On Thursday, our correspondent gathered that the second victim was killed on Bishop Okoye Street, Mile 3, Diobu, Port Harcourt, a development that appeared like a reprisal.

The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed Michael’s death, adding that the command had started investigation.

He said, “The incident happened yesterday (Wednesday). Some gunmen hacked him to death. Before the information got to the police, the culprits had disappeared.

“The relatives of the victim retrieved the corpse and deposited it in a mortuary before coming to inform us, an act that the police frowned at.

“As a result, the police detained the driver who took the corpse to a mortuary. We have made some arrests; investigation is ongoing.”