Daniel Efe/Port Harcourt
Reports say hoodlums suspected to be cultists on Sunday night at about 9pm mounted road block at Uruala/Abakiliki junction,Mile 1 Diobu, Port Harcourt and robbed passersby, motorists and road users for over 40 minutes without challenge from the Police.
We gathered that the hoodlums also invaded and robbed shops at Lumumba street in Mile 1 Diobu on Sunday night too.
One of the victims Tony Dike narrated that “At Abakiliki/Urualla junction some hoodlums on black and black, stopped my car with heavy stones .
“They shot into the air and said I should come down from the car,they start flogging and cutting me with machete .They collected my phones and the money I came back with from work one hundred and eighty thousand naira .At that moment they said I should come down from the car .When I saw that they wanted to collect the car .I had to put my car on reverse as if I want to come down from the car.Four of them wanted to enter the car,I had to speed off.
“They now soft pedal,I had to rush down to Police station to make my entry.I made my entry at Mile 1 Police station.They were holding guns,knives, broken bottles, stones,axe all sorts of weapons.They are more than fifty in number.
“The place was dark there was no light .When the incident happened to me another Jeep was coming from my back.The Jeep man saw the incident and tried to reverse and ran into the gutter.With the force, I moved with, I don’t know what happened to the Jeep guy.”
Many residents are now living in fear and are lamenting the spate of armed robbery in the area since the cult war between factions of Deygbam cult groups started.
Meanwhile,the Rivers State Police command has confirmed the death of a yet to be identified man who was being chased by armed men along Illabouchi street,Diobu axis on Saturday night (April 22,2023).
SP Grace Iringe Koko, Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command confirmed that about three armed men were chasing the man along Illabouchi when he hit a pavement and sustained serious injuries.
SP Koko said the man was rushed to hospital by good Samaritan where he was confirmed dead.
Eyewitnesses who want to remain anonymous said that the assailants who were driving in a vehicle shot severally at the deceased when he got to Emenike/Illabouchi street, Mile 2, Diobu, Port Harcourt.
The Eyewitness stated that the gunmen zoomed off immediately they shot severally at the man .
A visit to the crime scene minutes after the incident, saw Police patrol vans attached to Diobu Divisional Police headqurters Mile 1 and Azikiwe Divisional Police headqurters at the scene.
Sources say the incident may not be unconnected to the supremacy and territorial control battle between suspected D12 and BS houses of Deygbam cult groups which broke out at Elechi beach Mile 1 Diobu PortHarcourt nine days ago.