Panic As Four Die After Rival Cult Groups Clash In Rivers Community

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Some gunmen who are suspected to be cultists have killed persons during a fresh attack in Ibaa community in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, The PUNCH reports.

City Round learnt that the killing on Friday morning was the fallout of reprisal by a rival cult group.

But sources said members of the two gangs belonged to disbanded vigilance groups in the community.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the groups had allegedly clashed over the control of the collection of an illegal levy known as ‘matching ground.’

“The killing may have to do with the battle for the control of Illegal levy known as ‘matching ground’ between the two factions of ‘disbanded’ OSPAC whose members are alleged to be cultists. So far, at least four people are feared dead,” the source added.

Although it was not clear whether what happened was a clash or an invasion of the community, the situation left many villagers in panic, with some fleeing the area for fear of escalation of the matter.

This came after one person said to be a member of one of the disbanded vigilance groups was killed in the area in February.

When contacted, the acting spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, adding that policemen only saw two corpses.

Iringe-koko added, “Our men (policemen) said they saw two persons and their corpses have been taken to a morgue. The commissioner of police has deployed six patrol vans there and calm has returned.”