One of the vandalised vehicles (see more pictures below)

Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt

At least one person was shot dead in a rival cult clash and the accompanying mayhem unleashed on residents of the densely populated Mile 3 axis of Ikwerre road in Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Friday.

In the mayhem, suspected cultists went on rampage, robbing residents and vandalising vehicles of motorists plying he road in the area.

It was learnt that the protest was sparked off by the shooting to death of a suspected Deygbam cult member simply identified as Leo by suspected rival Iceland cult members early Friday at Bishop Okoye Street, Mile 3, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

Eyewitnesses claimed that four men inside a Toyota saloon car on getting to where Leo was standing rained bullets on him and sped off.

It was gathered that persons suspected to be members of the cult the said Leon belonged to put him in a wheelbarrow and took him to a compound in Chigbu Street where some of the deceased friends reside.

However, members of Diobu Vigilance Group alleged that the rampage which resulted from the death of cult member continued even after some policemen arrived at the area leading the death of a vegetable seller, the only person killed in the mayhem.

Also, the Chief Security Officer of Diobu Vigilance Group, Rumu-Elechi Community unit, Comrade Godstime Ihunwo, alleged that Deygbam cult members attacked him and his men before the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Nkpolu Division and his men arrived.

Ihunwo stated that while they were trying to contain the situation that led to the killing of the vegetable seller at mile 3 market, the suspected Deygbam boys who were on rampage attacked and injured them in the presence of the Police and none of the cult members were arrested.

The CSO explained that before the suspected Degbam boys left, they issued a direct threat that they must kill him and his men for the death of their member.

Ihunwo pointed out that such violence has been a reoccurring decimal, alleging that the cultists may be having a backup which has emboldened them to commit crimes unchallenged. He also alleged that the government is not assisting the vigilance group in any way.

Meanwhile, the residents of No. 8 Chigbu Street, where the cultist abandoned the corpse of their member have called on Police authorities to come and move the corpse.

The spokesperson of Rivers State Police command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident but could not give details.

It could be recalled that cult war between suspected Deygbam and Iceland Cult groups in Mile 3 diobu over the right to collect daily levies from traders at Bishop Okoye Street, popularly known as ‘matching ground’  two weeks ago claimed two lives. The deceased were identified as Chisco Uzoma, a suspected Iceland cult member and one Saidu Waisu, a suspected Deygbam cult member.

The spokesperson of Rivers State Police command had confirmed the killing of Chisco Uzoma.

But in the case of Saidu Waisu, he promised to get a detailed report after consulting with the DPO in Nkpolu.