Pandemonium broke out in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North local government Area of Ogun state when a police inspector and two others were reportedly shot dead during a clash between a cult group, Aiye and members of the OOdua People’s Congress.
This is as unidentified gunmen reportedly killed Kingsley Chukwegu, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Rumuolumeni Police Station in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Vanguard gathered that the Ijebu-Igbo gun battle which began around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at Oke – Sopen road leading to Station bus stop, spilt into Oke-Agbo area and Ojowo, with gunshot booming intermittently all through the night and escalated in the early hours of Monday.
It was further gathered that the first two casualties were said to have died on Sunday, one on either side of the two warring groups.
The Inspector and one other policeman, whose names were not supplied by the police authorities, were said to have been killed in an alleged ambush by some hoodlums in the same town in the early hours of yesterday while they were on routine patrol.
Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state Police Public Relations Officer, explained that the policemen were in the town to maintain law and order based on the cult clash on Sunday.
He said “Some members of OPC and Aiye cult group clashed on Sunday, one OPC member was shot dead and one member of Aiye cult group was also shot dead.
“This morning (Monday), while our men were on routine patrol, they were ambushed by suspected hoodlums. They shot dead one Police Inspector and another one was seriously injured.
“The injured policeman is currently recuperating in a hospital”.
The PPRO confirmed that two persons who were members of the two warring groups lost their lives during the clash that that took place on Sunday.
He said “some arrests have been made. I don’t have the number. Normalcy has returned to the town. We will go after the hoodlums wherever they hide, they would not go unpunished, we would get them.
However, a source said six persons, including a bricklayer, have been gunned down and several others injured in a renewed gun war that erupted between suspected members of rival cult groups in the area.
According to the source, four persons were shot dead and several others wounded during the clash on Sunday evening, two additional persons got killed in a pre – dawn reprisal attacks launched by one of the feuding cult groups.
Residents and visitors were reportedly scampered to safety in fear as some of the victims were caught in crossfire.
A source in Ijebu – Igbo said three persons, believed to be members of the same family, were killed in front of their father’s house in Ojowo, another killed near the Amazing Graze Petroleum Station while two others were shot dead at Odobalogun – all in Ijebu – Igbo town.
Meanwhile, Oyeyemi said the command had deployed operatives of FSARS, Police Mobile force and Anti-Cultism unit to the troubled zone.
Kingsley Chukwegu, a Superintendent of Police and the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Rumuolumeni Police Station in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State was reportedly gunned down by suspected hired assassins around Awaza Community in Abia State while returning to Port Harcourt, his place of service.
It was gathered that the DPO was murdered while in transit and that he was killed in the midst of three other persons inside a private vehicle.
It was also learned that the other occupants of the car were not hurt by the assassins.
However, Ahmed Zaki, the State Commissioner of Police, has led other top police officers and men to visit Rumuolumeni Police Division to commiserate with officers and men in the area.
Nnamdi Omoni, the Police-Public Relations Officer of the State Command, expressed sadness over the murder of the senior police officer.
Omoni noted that the command has been in touch with Abia State Command over the incident, adding that it is a huge loss to the command and police force.
He noted that investigations have commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the killing of Chukwegu.
