Posted by By Femi Makinde, Port Harcourt on
one person was feared dead when fighting broke out between members of two rival cult groups.....
one person was feared dead when fighting broke out between members of two rival cult groups at Abonnema Wharf Area, Port Harcourt on Wednesday night.
An eyewitness in the neighbourhood simply identified as IB told our correspondent that the fight started at about 11 pm when some suspected cultists drove into Abonnema Wharf Area in flashy cars.
According to her, a rival group in the area alerted the police who stormed the place, looking for the boys, during which one of them was allegedly shot.
Another source who pleaded anonymity added that it was not clear if the victim died on the spot but that the victim's group later returned in a bid to avenge the death of its member.
The reprisal attack started in the early hours of Thursday and it took a reinforcement of security operatives to put the situation under control.
The incident could not be confirmed by the police as there was a network problem when our correspondent spoke with the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ireju Barasua.
Barasua asked our correspondent to called back but there was no response to the call which went through three times.
As at 6pm policemen were seen patrolling the area while bus-loads of suspected cult boys dressed in black teeshirts and black pairs of jeans trousers were also patrolling the street.
Cultism-induced violence is rampant in Rivers State and efforts by the law enforcement agencies to dislodge them are yet to yield the desired results.
The huge number of small arms and other light weapons in circulation in the Niger Delta have contributed largely to the rising wave of crime in the area.