The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that ten persons were killed in a gun attack at Mgboshimili area of Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state, on Monday. Speaking on behalf of the force, the command spokesman, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the killings, said that ten persons, including a pregnant woman were killed in the attack by unknown gunmen.
Community sources revealed that three of the persons who were killed in the attack were roasted to death as a result of a fire which resulted from a gas cylinder that was shot by the assailants. An eyewitness told newsmen that among the three persons burnt beyond recognition in the apartment were a lady, adding that some of the corpses were still in the apartment.
The gunmen are reported to have stormed the community in the early hours of the day in speed boats, headed straight to the area around a market in the community and had killed two persons who could have been watching over cows on sale. The eyewitness reported that
“They then went to an apartment where they set a portion of the building ablaze after shooting three persons, including a female, dead”
Other sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the gunmen left in their wake, about 15 dead persons, five of whom are women, including a pregnant lady, while the rest are men including the husband of the pregnant lady and the only son of a widow.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the state police command, DSP Omoni, said that preliminary investigations show that the attack was carried out by members of the dreaded Icelanders cult, adding that some of the assailants have been identified.
“Unknown gunmen invaded Mgboshimili and when we got to the scene of the attack, we confirmed 10 dead. Some persons were taken to the hospital and preliminary investigations reveal that it was carried out by Icelanders.”
The state Governor, Nyesom Wike, speaking yesterday while receiving course participants of the National Defence College who are on tour at the Government House in Port Harcourt, commiserated with the families of the deceased and accused the Police of politicising security in the state.
“We had a security incident and I expected the Commissioner of Police to be here to brief me and for us to plan to forestall a recurrence, but he will not come. He may brief me over the telephone.
“We wrote to the Inspector General of Police to transfer those who sabotage our security out of the state, but he chose to leave them. Instead, the security saboteurs are busy participating in kidnapping and robbery with the use of SARS platform.”
The government has also accused the Police of allegedly deploying about 1,000 officers, armoured personnel carriers from strategic locations in the state to the Eleme venue of a rally of All Progressive Congress, APC, thus creating an opening for the development witnessed on Monday.
