Insecurity: Tension brews in Bonny as rival cult groups clash

The deteriorating security situation in Rivers State has spread to Bonny Island, headquarters of Bonny local government area as rival cult groups engaged themselves in a battle of supremacy over the weekend.

Eye witness accounts have it that one life was lost at the weekend when a particular cult group invaded the venue of a funeral in the Akiama area of Bonny and attacked one Akieofori, who is said to belong to a rival cult group.

 

After shooting him, they proceeded to butcher him with their axes and machetes. Informed sources say that that was how the deceased also treated victims of his attack while alive.

 

An eye witness who prefers to be anonymous told Enigma Reports that the killings are as result of supremacy tussle between two cult groups, Icelanders and Greenlanders.

 

He revealed that the deceased, Akieofori Green, was allegedly the leader of Greenlanders and his assassination by the Icelanders triggered the reprisal attack on members of the Icelanders resulting in the death of one of the Icelanders, Iminabo Halliday and another unnamed member. He, however, lamented that the Police are yet to show serious commitment to stamping out this menace.

 

Residents of the island who spoke to Enigma Reports on condition of anonymity say there have been several clashes involving different cult groups attacking each other and in some cases robbing residents of their valuable possessions such as money, jewelleries, among others.

 

Enigma Reports further learnt that the activities of these violent groups in the town was majorly responsible for the delay in relocating the Bonny main market from its previous site along Market Road to the new site along Berger Road several months after the Chairman of the LGA, Omuso Abbey, gave the order.

 

It took the intervention of the Nigeria Police, Joint Military Taskforce (JTF), and security agencies on the island to convince the traders to move to the new site. The security agencies set up positions around the market facility to forestall any security breaches in and around the market. This served as morale booster for the traders who promptly moved into the new facility.

 

Reacting to the incident, the Bonny LGA Chairman, Omuso Abbey, said he was sad, condemning the dastard act, while calling on the people of the area to be vigilant and give the security agencies the needed cooperation to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

On his part, Leader of the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF), umbrella youth body in the area, Simeon Wilcox, condemned the act. He called on the youths of the area to eschew violence and instead channel their energies into profitable ventures, charging them to refuse to be used by selfish politicians to disturb the relative peace in the community.

 

“It’s saddening to know that, Bonny as a community, we’re losing our fibre. When I say fibre I mean our young ones who are supposed to keep the flag flying. An army officer told me that one day we’ll wake up and we will see a lot of bastards, vagabonds because our young ones are impregnating our girls and dying. This is not healthy for a community like this,” he lamented.

 

He disclosed that the BYF is working with the Police and other stakeholders to get to the root of the matter, noting that several complaints have linked the activities of the hoodlums to tricycle (keke) drivers in the area, assuring that the situation would soon be brought under control.

A community leader, who prefers not to be named, opined that the political class and the security agencies are to blame for the deteriorating security situation in the area.

 

“The security agencies are not ready yet to tackle this menace including the past APC administration in the LGA. Intelligence gathering and execution involves money. Yet we hear security votes are given every month that goes into the pockets of the disgruntled politicians. It is very easy to comb Bonny and this nonsense will end,”

 

In his view, the problem could be addressed by creating jobs and engaging the perpetrators of the violence through dialogue, adding that the leaders of these cult groups should be made to appreciate the benefits of peace and the negative effect of violence, and where they refuse reasonable force can be applied,” berating the political class for being responsible for these security breaches.

 

Efforts to reach the State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Mohammed, proved abortive as calls to his line were not answered and text message sent to him were not replied.