3rd June, 2017
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Barely 24 hours after the killing of 14 persons in Sime community in Tai local government area of Rivers State, gunmen early Saturday morning invaded Asarama-toro community, a fishing settlement in Andoni local government area of the state, killing nine persons.
The reason for the invasion is still unclear but the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) in Asarama-toro, Japheth Blessing, confirmed the incident.
Blessing said the gunmen invaded the community before dawn today.
He called on the state government and security agencies to come to the aid of the community and protect lives and property.
“We are calling on the Governor of Rivers State, the Caretaker Committee Chairman and the Area Commander and security forces to come to our aid. This is not the first time we are being attacked. Many members of our community have fled for safety.”
It will recalled that 14 persons were shot dead while several others were critically injured in Sime, Tai Local government area of the state on Friday during bloody clashes by cult gangs in the community.
Bob Uelor Nkue, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Tai Local Government who confirmed the massacre regretted the dastardly incident is coming barely a month after Governor Nyesom Wike extended a second round of amnesty to four local government areas in Ogoniland for members of cult groups to renounce cultism and surrender their weapons.
Meanwhile, a former federal lawmaker Jacobson Nbina Barenaka who represented Tai, Eleme, Oyigbo federal constituency has dismissed the massacre in Sime as a clash by cult gangs.
He linked the attack on his community to a vengeful mission by supporters of a suspected notorious kidnapper popularly known as “Supreme” who used Sime community as a hideout for his criminal operations but was killed by security agents.
According to Jacobson Nbina Barenaka: “Our community was used by “Supreme,” the notorious kidnapper as a camp and operational base, even when he is from Eleme Local Government. Based on the nefarious activities of “Supreme” and his gang, security agencies were tipped off and the gang leader was killed.”
“Members of the gang are the ones who came to my community and killed some members of the community. At the last count, 16 people have been killed in my community,” the former lawmaker said.
Both the state government and the Rivers Police Command were yet to react to the latest killings as at the time of filing this report.