Cult clash: Police arrest two over death of 9 persons in Rivers community

Two persons have been arrested by the Rivers State Police Command in connection to the cult clash that caused the death of nine persons in the Ahoada East local government area of the state.

A clash between two rival cult groups claimed the lives of nine people in Ikata community, Upata kingdom Ahoada East local government area.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko who confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, said an investigation is ongoing as the suspects are providing useful information to the command.

Meanwhile, a source in the affected community told our correspondent that the two suspected cult gangs exchanged gunfire for over thirty minutes which led to the killing of nine people.

According to the source, the incident was a result of a leadership tussle rocking the fractional units of the Greenlanders cult group operating in the area.

The source disclosed that the incident caused pandemonium in the community as residents scampered for safety and shop owners hurriedly closed their shops to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police Rivers State, CP Effiong Okon, immediately deployed tactical units to the community and its environs and also ordered the arrest of fleeing members of the gang.