Five feared killed in Ogoni community

As Traditional Rulers Decry Exclusion From Cleanup Remediation Process
Five persons have been reportedly killed in Zor-Sogho Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State as gunmen suspected to be cultists invaded the area.

The Guardian gathered that the hoodlums stormed the community with heavy gunfire and shot five victims. A source in the area that pleaded anonymity disclosed that the bandits carried out the operation around 10pm on Thursday, into yesterday morning, adding that the development has caused panic in the community, forcing many to flee their homes for fear of reprisal attacks by rival gang group.

Meanwhile, the Ogoni Development Initiative (OYDI) has condemned the killings, describing it as barbaric. National Coordinator, OYDI, Imeabe Oscar, regretted that some youths in Ogoni are still interested in cultism, alleging that cultists in the area were behind the act. Contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said, he is yet to get any report from the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) in charge of the area.

This is as the Bodo Council of Traditional Rulers in Gokana Local Government Area of the state have condemned their non-inclusion in the Bodo cleanup remediation process.

Chairman, Bodo Council of Traditional Rulers, Pius Menega, said it was sad that the traditional rulers, who are major stakeholders in the community were left out.

Menega explained that they’d approached a court over their exclusion and the court held that they should be consulted and carried along in the process by Shell (SPDC) on the clean up but the company has remained adamant to the court judgement.