Pandemonium as gunmen kill six in Rivers
PHOTO: manny360
Residents of Gwara and Kono-Boue communities in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, yesterday, fled the area after gunmen suspected to be cultists killed six persons in the council.
The Guardian gathered that the gunmen, numbering about seven, invaded Gwara community in the morning, shot indiscriminately and left three persons dead without any challenge.
A source in the community said the hoodlums proceeded to a neighbouring Kono-Boue, where a motorcycle rider and the two persons he was carrying ran into them and were shot dead.
The Public Relations Officer, Community Development Community of Kono-Boue, Nwibakpo Golden, told newsmen that some villagers were fleeing the community for safety.
He said: “This afternoon, unknown gunmen invaded Gwara community, killing about three persons. They went into Kono-Boue, killing three too. A motorcycle rider and the persons that were with him were killed.
“They were coming from thanksgiving when they ran into the gunmen and were shot dead,” he stated with bitterness. Golden said he personally put a call across to the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Bori division, saying he responded but the hoodlums had fled before the arrival of security men.
He said the absence of a functional police station and the bad road in the area has worsened the security situation there, saying villagers who fled were yet to return.
“As we speak now, some people are hiding in the bush. The way they (gunmen) came, they were not looking at anybody. They were just shooting.
“The governor of Rivers State once came to this place and promised that there will be a police station there. Kono-Boue is a very large community. We are still hoping that he will fulfil his promise.
“Secondly, the road there is bad. If they fix the road, the police can easily access the area anytime we call them. The DPO came with his team, but the gunmen did not waste time. He (DPO) was able to restore normalcy,” Golden added.
The Rivers State Police spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the killings in Khana Local Government Area of the State. In a WhatsApp message, Omoni said: “I can confirm the cult clash in Khana where three persons were killed”
The victims include Namene Kialede, Muaka Ikara and Kingsley Kponee. Omoni said no arrest has been made but efforts were on to arrest the perpetrators.
He added: “ Our men were combing the forests in Kono Boue in search of the hoodlums, they ran into one Enyindah Lawson Ndu who was kidnapped at Elelenwo last week at about 17.50p.m. He was rescued from where he was kept in the forest and released to take medical care.”
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