Unidentified
cult groups in Rivers state have protested failure of Rivers state
government to grant amnesty to repented cultists as they engaged the
city in sporadic shooting in the early hours of Friday.
The shooting caused panic among
residents of the city as gunshots rained freely on the streets of Port
Harcourt for three hours, starting from 3am to 6am.
The sudden sporadic shooting
paralyzed early morning movement of vehicles and workers, just as
security personnel were absent in most streets.
The shooting dominated the Creek
Road, Lagos and Bonny Streets and parts of Diobu and old Government
Residential Area (GRA), just as no case of death was reported as at
the time of filing this report.
Investigations by our
correspondent revealed that the cultists are not happy with recent
developments in the state as most of them still live in the creeks and
hideouts.
Unconfirmed sources told our
correspondent that the groups alleged that the state government has
refused to pardon repented cultists to enable them integrate into the
society, as a result of which they are expressing their displeasure by
shooting randomly.
According to the sources, the
cultists also alleged that they are not part of the 2008 state
Cultural Festival tagged CarniRiv 2008 celebrated by the state
government as they are labeled criminals and cultists.
Although no group was arrested
in connection with the uproar, the shooting caused a stampede among
residents of the city.
When contacted, Police Public
Relations Officer at the Rivers state Police Command, Mrs. Rita Abbey,
a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) confirmed the incident but did
not give detailed account and causes of the shooting by the armed
groups.
The PPRO also did not state
whether any member of the groups was arrested by the command, just as
operatives have been deployed to strategic places to beef up security.
Meanwhile, the 2008 CarniRiv
hosted by the state government has paralyzed socio-economic activities
in the state as shops and stores were closed down during the period of
the festival.
The CarniRiv procession in the
city forced the state government to block all major roads, including
the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway as intra city vehicles were not
allowed to operate.
The event witnessed residents of
the city trekking long distances to their homes as most vehicles were
off the roads and streets of Port Harcourt.
The festival witnessed
deployment of security operatives as Governor Chibuike Amaechi
kicked-off the procession from the Army First Artillery to the heart
of the city.
