Tension gripped parts of Diobu in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, as two persons were reportedly killed during a violent clash between suspected rival cult groups, believed to be members of the Lamidian and Virus factions of the Deygbam cult.
Sources told our correspondent that the first incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday at the Odunezealane axis of Mile 3 Diobu. Gunmen suspected to be members of one of the cult groups reportedly ambushed and shot dead a rival cultist.
In a reprisal attack later the deceased allegedly stormed the Sagana/Railway area of Mile 1 Diobu. There, they reportedly killed another individual identified as “Ishi” with machetes. He was said to have played a role in the earlier killing.
The twin attacks triggered panic among residents and traders in the affected areas, many of whom swiftly shut their shops and businesses for fear of further violence.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said she would provide a response but had yet to do so as of the time this report was filed.
This latest violence comes barely two months after a similar cult-related killing was recorded in the Diobu area, underscoring the growing concern over gang-related violence in the region.
