Police officers flee as cultists hack, rob residents in Port Harcourt

Nigerian Police Officers and a vigilance group on Tuesday ran away while hoodlums suspected to be cult members invaded some streets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, attacked residents and robbed passersby and shop owners.

It was gathered that the gang, numbering about 50, ransacked Eagle Island, Timber Street and Echue stretch of Illabouchi, all densely populated areas of the metropolis, with machetes, as residents scampered for safety.

The hoodlums were members of a suspected cult whose member was reportedly hacked to death last weekend by a faction of the group in the Mile 2 axis of Diobu, The Punch reports.

An eyewitness, Peter Rowland, said residents ran into their homes and remained indoors for hours, as the cult members brandished machetes and other weapons while searching for their rivals.

Our correspondent, who visited the area around 12.30 pm, saw policemen in about five vans from various tactical units patrolling the vicinity.

Rowland said, “I was on the road when I saw over 50 guys with machetes.

 “They used the cutlasses on people, collecting their belongings; some vehicle owners came out of their vehicles and ran for cover.

“Some traffic policemen at Illabuchi by Eagle Island Junction and members of the Diobu vigilance group in the area all ran away.

“When I saw what was happening, I had to call the Rivers State Government control room to lodge a complaint. Later, I saw that calm had returned to the area.”

The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident.

She said, “We are aware of the disturbance; it may be a show of supremacy by cult groups. But we have commenced an investigation to get to the root of the matter.”

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, dismissed claims that a life was lost during the melee.

Source: Punch Newspaper

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