Cult reprisal attack in Rivers claims policeman’s life, triggers arrests
By: Zagazola Makama
A renewed clash between the OSPAC local security outfit and suspected members of the Iceland cult group has resulted in the death of a police officer and the arrest of eight individuals in Ahoada-East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Zagazola Makama gathered that the violence, which followed a retaliatory assault by cult members, was a fallout of an earlier confrontation where OSPAC operatives reportedly ambushed suspected cultists on their way to Oshika community in Ahoada-West. In the ambush, one cult member was killed and another captured and detained at the OSPAC office behind the Ahoada-East LGA Secretariat.
In response, a gang led by one Umegbewe Kingsley, alias “Gutam”, believed to be the leader of the Iceland cult group in Ahoada-West, stormed the OSPAC office in a reprisal attack. The assailants reportedly opened fire sporadically, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire.
Tragically, a stray bullet struck Corporal Francis Friday, a member of a security team on special duty at the LGA Secretariat, fatally wounding him. He was confirmed dead shortly after the incident.
Security operatives deployed to the area responded swiftly, resulting in the arrest of six OSPAC members and two suspected cultists involved in the violence.
The scene of the incident was later visited by senior security officials, including high-ranking commanders, who conducted an on-the-spot assessment and ordered a full investigation into the attack and related cult activities in the area.
