Gunmen Kill Two in Rivers Community

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Two persons were shot dead by gunmen suspected to be cultists, along Ubeta Owube Road in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.

A source from the area, who pleaded anonymity out of fear of being attacked, disclosed that the victims were on their way to the community from Port Harcourt, when the hoodlums ambushed and shot them dead.

It was gathered that the victims, who are indigenes of Owube community, were transporting building materials home to fix their damaged house that was destroyed by flood when the incident occurred.

The shooting, THISDAY learnt, was at a very close range, hence the victims could not survive the injury.

Meanwhile, a former Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman of Ubarama, Major Elleh, who spoke via phone call, confirmed the attack and gave the name of one of the victims as Confidence Chalikobi.

Elleh disclosed that Chalikobi resided in Port Harcourt but was on his way home to repair his father’s house damaged by the last year’s flood.

According to Elleh, “I got a reliable information yesterday (Saturday) that two guys were shot dead in Owube community, a neighbouring community to mine, about 1Kiliometre drive to my village.

“His father’s house was brought down during the flood. He bought some building material for repair of the house, but he was gunned down by these hoodlums and the other person is from Elemechi Ogbogu, the driver of the vehicle all in Owube community.”

He, however, called “on stakeholders and the LGA chairman to give necessary support to the new Divisional Police Offier (DPO) and other security agencies in the area to clampdown on criminal elements.”

Recall that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nwonyi Emeka, had redeployed DPOs of Akinima Police Division and Ahoada Police Division in Ahoada West and East LGAs respectively, and brought in two new DPOs, a strategy that reduced the activities of cultists and other criminal elements in the area.

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP. Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the incident, said that investigation is ongoing to arrest the hoodlums.