Cult clash over girlfriend leaves one dead in Rivers

A young man was shot dead on Easter Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following a violent clash between rival cult groups reportedly triggered by a dispute over a girlfriend. The incident occurred on Abakaliki Street in the Mile 1 axis of Diobu, where factions of the Deybam cult group identified as the BS and […]

A young man was shot dead on Easter Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following a violent clash between rival cult groups reportedly triggered by a dispute over a girlfriend.

The incident occurred on Abakaliki Street in the Mile 1 axis of Diobu, where factions of the Deybam cult group identified as the BS and D12 (also known as Doggies and White Eagles) engaged in a bloody confrontation.

The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident, describing it as an intra-cult clash and stating that an investigation was ongoing.

Residents said the violence stemmed from both a struggle for territorial control and rivalry over a young woman in the area.

The situation, Daily Trust learnt, escalated on Easter Sunday when members of the rival groups went on a rampage, resulting in the death of one suspected cultist.

Eyewitnesses said the victim was shot by assailants who arrived in a vehicle shortly after he stepped out to buy bread from a nearby shop.

It was learnt that the shooting caused panic, forcing residents and passersby to flee for safety.

Police operatives from the Mile 1 Division later evacuated the victim’s body after the attackers had fled.

The Rivers Police Command Public Relations Officer, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, had ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators.

“The incident is linked to an intra-cult clash in Diobu. The Commissioner of Police has directed that those responsible be apprehended and brought to justice. Security has been reinforced in the area,” she said.