Residents flee Rivers community after cultists behead two

Some residents have reportedly fled Choba Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State for fear of reprisal attack by gang group whose two members were beheaded on Tuesday morning in a farm near University of Port Harcourt.

The Guardian gathered that a renewed supremacy battle between two rival groups in the community led to the latest attack.

The residents, including university students, were said to have woken up to the gory sight of two young men who were beheaded in a nearby bush with both legs and hands tied with rope.

The bodies of the victims were abandoned in the farm while the heads were dropped by the road side.

The paramount ruler of Choba community, Eze Raymond Okorocha,who described the development as evil, said the resurgence of attacks by hoodlums began after the state government disbanded the vigilance group in the area.

According to the monarch, “the vigilance group in Choba was disbanded when the state made announcement to disband youth activities in the state and implemented it. That was the beginning of the problems.

“The youths cashed in on the opportunity and started ravaging the environment with all kinds of evil, otherwise we have not been experiencing this type of evil in our land.”

The monarch told newsmen that the community has contacted the security agencies and the Neighborhood Watch recently set up by the state government over the incident, stating that they are partnering to put up measures to tackle insecurity in Choba. He called on security agencies to prevent impending reprisal attack.

Similarly, the chairman of Police Community Relation in Choba Area Command, Moses Ahigbali, has condemned the alleged supremacy battle between the two rival gangs in which he noted led to the beheading of two persons.

He however advised residents and general public to becareful of whom they go out with and what they do, lamenting that strange things has been happening in the community recently.

He said, “Every time, we hear different kinds of bad news in this area, the other time, somebody was shot dead at Rumuakara ,another persob was killed within the same area, how long can we continue like this?

He disclosed that the PCRC and the police Area command in choba would work together to bring an end the ugly menace.

Meanwhile, the State Police Command has confirmed the gruesome murder of two persons in Choba.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Nnamdi Omoni, said, the incident was cult related, adding that one of the victims was identified as a cultist.

Omoni said, ‘” this s morning (Tuesday) the Command was greeted with the news that two bodies were beheaded in Choba, when men of the Choba Division got to the scene of incident they saw the two heads and information from the local there led us to where we recovered the bodies.

“So, immediately our men took the bodies to the mortuary and deposited them. As we speak we have been able to identify one of the corpses.

“Information on ground has it that members of the Icelander attacked members of Deygbam cult group and killed them. Those ones that were killed were also members of secret cult group, their fight for supremacy led to the two deaths recorded.”

The police spokesman said, investigations were seriously on to unravel the perpetrators adding that the command has mounted serious manhunt in the area to forestall peace.

He said, no arrest has been made so far and urged residents to assist the police with relevant information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects.