Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
Udi Street, a busy printing hub in Mile 1, Diobu area of Port Harcourt, was rocked by sporadic gun shots a few minutes ago.
Although the cause of the gunshots is still not fully ascertained as this report is being filed in, there are strong indications that they were not unconnected with the increased rate of rivalry among the cultists in Diobu, especially those of Elechi Beach extraction.
The gunshots, which came in quick succession, sent jitters down the spines of passers-by, motorists, vendors, shop owners and all those who were around the Elechi Beach Park vicinity, as they were all taken unawares by the shooters.
TPCN gathered from eye witnesses that on hearing the gun shots, people instantly started running helter skelter, scampering for safety of their lives.
While some, in that confusion, ran into open shops, some people that were inside shops ran outside in an effort to leave the area while some bumped into one another in the process.
Two cars had a mild face to face collision while another car, a Toyota Sienna, almost jammed a young female pure water hawker.
The gunmen, who were said to be in a car, appeared to be on a hot chase, with some people suggesting that they were pursuing a rival cultist.
The eye witness told TPCN: “Everything just happened in a second. It was like a movie drama. The guns just sounded unexpectedly like that and before we knew it, everybody had started running. Some people didn’t even know where to run to while some ran outside. Because of the confusion, we could not see where the boys entered but some people are saying that they were chasing another cultist. Na only God go save us for this Diobu. Since last month we have not rested. Before you know it, another thing you will hear is shooting. Now, people close around 5 or 6 o’clock because of fear.”
