11 feared killed as gunmen raid Rivers community

No fewer than eleven persons were feared dead in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba Egbema Ndoni local government area of Rivers State, after some gunmen stormed the area on Friday night.

It was gathered that the gunmen, who were masked, shot erratically for several hours.

Eyewitness said the gunmen later fled when men of the Joint Task Force, JTF, engaged them in a gun duel.

The gunmen were said to have regrouped, yesterday afternoon, to continue the shooting at the market.

Among those killed, sources said, was a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), simply identified as Godspower.

The Chairman of the local government area, Mr Austin Ayamadu, who condemned the incident, appealed to residents to remain calm, assuring that security men had taken charge of the area. Ayamadu said the gunmen went from one street to the other shooting before security men swung into action.

“Unknown gunmen invaded Omoku and started by killing an elder of the APC and some other people were also killed. The figure I cannot immediately say because of the security situation, but it is more than five”, he said.

Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, who confirmed the development, said it was a clash between rival cult groups, stressing that security men were on top of the situation.

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