The Rivers State Police Command has officially confirmed the cold-blooded killing of a young man on Abakiliki Street, situated within the Mile 1 Diobu axis of Port Harcourt. The incident, which occurred amidst the Easter festivities, has been attributed to a violent internal schism within a notorious local cult group.
Responding to formal enquiries on Monday, the Public Relations Officer for the Rivers State Police Command, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Grace Iringe-Koko, verified the tragedy.
“Yes, I can confirm the incident,” CSP Koko stated. “Initial findings indicate it is linked to an intra-cult clash between members of a particular group in the Diobu district. The Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, has already ordered a rigorous manhunt for the perpetrators with a view to bringing them to justice. Security has been reinforced in the area as the investigation continues.”
Reporters on the ground gathered that the fatal encounter resulted from a fierce confrontation between the “Doggies” and “White Eagle” houses two rival factions of the Deybam cult group who are reportedly locked in a bitter struggle for territorial dominance.
However, secondary sources familiar with the development suggested a more personal motive for the escalation. It is alleged that the clash reached a breaking point on Easter Sunday following a protracted tussle between two men, belonging to the differing “houses,” over a young woman. The identity of the deceased remains unconfirmed as of the time of filing this report.
The victim’s final moments were marked by an ordinary task turned lethal. Eyewitnesses recounted that the young man was shot dead by assailants in a moving vehicle shortly after he exited a local grocery store where he had gone to purchase bread.
The audacity of the daylight assassination sparked immediate pandemonium, sending residents and passers-by scampering for safety as gunfire echoed through the high-density neighbourhood. Minutes after the gunmen made their escape, officers attached to the Mile 1 Police Division arrived at the scene to retrieve the remains.
The Diobu area has long been a flashpoint for such hostilities. The Rivers State Police Command has, on several occasions over the past two years, confirmed similar lethal intra-cult clashes involving the “BS” and “D12” houses of the same Deybam fraternity.
While the police maintain a heightened presence in the area to forestall reprisal attacks, the residents of Mile 1 remain in a state of anxious apprehension, calling for a more permanent solution to the recurring menace of cult-related violence in the state capital.
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