Description

Rivers State is gradually becoming a paradise for cultists, and it is most repulsive. A garden city turning into a den of atrocities is a tragic phenomenon that can have devastating consequences for the citizens of Rivers in particular and Nigeria in general. When an urban area is freely controlled by both state and non-state actors without checks, they can create a culture of fear and violence that pervades every aspect of life. This is what is assuming a frightening dimension in Rivers, and it requires an urgent intervention of the state authorities.

Just recently, suspected cultists, numbering over 100, attacked the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials at Odunze Lane, Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State. The NDLEA officials had gained access to Odunze, a den of cultists, which has gained notoriety for illicit drug trafficking, with the sole objective of arresting the drug kingpin known as “50”.

No sooner had the NDLEA officials apprehended the drug pin, and headed for the waiting patrol van stationed at Ikwerre Road by Iheoma Street, Mile 3, Diobu, the suspected cultists, who were fully armed with dangerous weapons such as broken bottles, stones, and guns, suddenly appeared and viciously attacked the NDLEA officials, inflicting heavy injuries on them. Acting in self-defence to repel the attack, the NDLEA officials fired some shots into the air, but the rampaging cultists were undeterred.