‘We Can’t Sleep’- Rivers Communities Plan Self-Defence Against Gunmen Who Kill At Night

Ibaa and Tego in Khana and Gokana Local Government Areas of Rivers State have become ghost town communities where only the sounds of guns are heard at night. Many of the residents have relocated inside Port Harcourt while those still there do not sleep at night.

Houses have been abandoned by their owners and streets deserted during the day. Only the elderly and the courageous have refused to flee

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Unknown gunmen are the kings of the jungle and it seems no one can dethrone them. Some call them cultists; some say they’re just criminals being sponsored by politicians. But the security agencies are yet to unmask them.

They storm the communities at night in search of victims, shooting into the air to announce their presence.

They once beheaded a victim and paraded his head around the community, chanting cultists’ slogans and residents could only peep into the darkness through their windows. Their faces covered with mask, they marched around the communities armed with guns and machetes.

No one dared to come out of their houses, no one dared to stop them. Residents remained in their houses, praying frantically that the killers would not visit them.

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When it was daybreak, many fled, vowing never to return to their own communities. At least 34 persons are said to have been arrested , tried and jailed, but the terror has continued.

THE WHISTLER was informed during a visit to the area that young boys in the Kono Boue communities are initiated into a cult and the society is at the mercy of cultists.

Last week alone, at least 7 persons were reported killed in gun violence in the area while vigilantes found two corpses buried in shallow graves.

Police Overwhelmed

The few residents who spoke to this reporter said gun violence and killings happen on a daily basis because there is no strong presence of security operatives.

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For instance, there is only one police division overseeing the two local government areas—the Bori Police Division.

While many of the residents commended the division, especially the DPO, SP Bako Agbashim, for their courageous effort to tackle cultists and kidnappers in the communities, the operatives are inadequate to take control of the situation.

In addition, the police are facing several logistic problems which hamper their ability to respond properly. For instance, this reporter was told that on many occasions, the DPO had to use motorcycle to chase criminals because there were no patrol vehicles.

While speaking to THE WHISTLER, Agbashim said, “We have it on record that these criminals have some political big wigs sponsoring their attacks but we have not gotten them handy. We can’t call names but once our investigations are over, we’ll apprehend and prosecute them.

“We are working closely with the Council bosses of Khana and Gokana and we will fish out those sponsoring and instigating them to carry out these attacks.

“From the raid we have conducted so far we have been able to capture about 34 persons involved in kidnap and they have all been jailed, all serving now.”

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We’re Launching Operation Keep watchs

But Comrade Golden Nwibakpo, Public Relations Officer of the Commiunity Development Committee of Kono-Boue told THE WHISTLER that no one in their community has been sleeping with their eyes fully closed.

He said,  “Nowadays, we can’t sleep. You go to sleep expecting something fearful to happen. You’re expecting attacks but you don’t know who is coming to attack you.

“Most of these people terrorizing us and committing this high level crimes are Indigenes of this state..

 “We have resolved to launch operation keep watch and safeguard in our communities.  We are ready to go the extra mile on our own to ensure we put an end to the incessant killings.”

A resident, Mene Kpegi , said the community has been forced to defend itself against “the rain of gunshot.”

He said they’ve been unable to have peaceful sleep in the community due to violence by unknown men.

“Most of our youths have fled to Port Harcourt and other neighboring LGAs for safety. We want these killings to stop immediately as we are going through hell.”

Chairman of Khana LGA, Dr Thomas Bariere,  in a chat with this website, said he has made security in the local government a priority of his administration, saying he had “fortified” all the vigilante groups in the area to work with the police to arrest the killings.

Dr Thomas Bsriere, Khana LG chairman

“I am really worried and pained. It is only a wicked person that will be alive, see people being killed, kidnapped, attacked and keep calm even when he/she has the power to help avert or bring in peace,” he said, adding he had vowed to ensure the people are safe and the “unrest is stopped entirely.”

Bariere said he is also finding solutions by working to empower youths with employable skills.

“We have also decided to train many youths in different skills after which we set them up, those educated we will absorb to the council thereby eradicating joblessness and unemployment which make most of this young people resort to criminality,” he said.

Governor Nyesom Wike Not Sleeping

The chairman said the state governor, Nyesom Wike, has been supportive of their effort to stop the criminalities in the communities, adding that the governor provided patrol vehicles to the police and army.

The Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Marshal Obuzor, said the government was focused on keeping the people safe and had embarked on several measures.

Nyesom-Wike
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike

One of these is to ensure every community affected by cult related clashes and attacks gets a Police station and heavy military presence so as to fight the crime.

He said, “The Government recently launched the C4I Military, to equally assist in fighting criminality. The Government has empowered the Army, Police through the provision of necessary tools. The Commissioner of Police, CP, Eboka Friday, has been charged to ensure his team sanitizes every LGA faced with cult related issues and they have already started working. Hopefully, cult related clashes will be eliminated in Rivers State.

“The Governor has constantly held meetings with traditional leaders, council chairmen and the military to always get feedbacks from each LGA and also charge them to fight criminality till it is reduced to its lowest minimum.”

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