Suspected cultist kills Rivers man, police begin probe

The police in Rivers State on Saturday said they had begun an investigation into the killing of a yet-to-be-identified man by a suspected cultist in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

It was learnt that the man was shot dead on Thursday night along the Nanka/Lumumba Diobu axis, between Mile 2 and Mile 3 in the state capital.

It was gathered that about three gunmen had trailed the deceased to a location where he went to buy noodles and shot him in the head immediately after he left the shop.

The incident caused pandemonium as residents scampered to safety on hearing the sound of the gunshot and the discovery of a dead man, even as the corpse was later evacuated by the police.

A source who pleaded anonymity in order not to be identified stated, “It was around past 8 pm; some people were still outside receiving fresh air because of the heat wave when this happened.

“So some group of boys, I believe they are cult members, followed this man and as soon as he bought noodles and was returning home, they shot him at close range.

“The boys disappeared immediately and people living within the area started running for their lives. Many people ran into their houses and some shop owners closed and hid themselves until it was safe to leave the area. It was later that we saw the police come to remove the man’s corpse; there was blood all over the floor because he was shot in the head.”

However, another source linked the shooting to an intra-cult war between two factions of the Deygbam gang for territorial control of an illegal business site in the area, but the police dismissed the claim of cult war.

The spokesperson of the police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, saying investigation has commenced to ensure the culprits are arrested and prosecuted.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police stated, “I can confirm the incident, but it was not a cult war. Some cult members actually attacked and shot the man dead.

“Investigation is ongoing to arrest the perpetrators and make them face the law.”