Eight Feared Dead In Cult Clash …As NLC Blames Mbu For Insecurity

R-L Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Eng. Tele Ikuru. Rivers State Governor, R.t Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and chairman Nigeria Labour Congress Rivers State, Comrade. Christ Oruge when NLC paid a solidarity visit to the Governor in Government House, Port Harcourt.

Eight persons were reportedly feared dead and several others injured over the weekend, in a clash between two rival cult groups, suspected to be Icelanders and Greenlanders at Asarama Community in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Angela Agabe said the state police command headquarters was yet to confirm the incident with police from the Area Command in Bori and Divisional Police Headquarters (DPH), Ngo in the area. However, the police in Ngo confirmed to The Tide that over eight persons were reportedly missing while several others including non-cult members sustained various degrees of injuries from stray bullets in the incidents.
Meanwhile, the people of Asarama, in a statement, yesterday, said the recent cult clash in the community took place at about 9.30pm at the burial of one late Patience Owen during which unconfirmed number  of persons were feared dead, while several persons were injured by stray bullets.
A statement jointly signed by the paramount ruler of Asarama, Chief Appolus Nteijab, the Chairman of Asarama Divisional Council of Chiefs, Ubonile Francis Abadi, and the Chairman, Asarama community Development Committee (CDC), Mr Ndeendeng N Atagwung, called on governments and police to beef up security in the area by stationing police and men of the Join Military Task Force (JTF) in the area against future occurrence of the Friday clash between the two rival cult groups that held the community hostage.
The statement called on parents and guardians whose children and wards were members of cult groups, including the ones that clashed in Asarama, recently to call their children and wards to order to ensure they denounced cultism and embraced the path of sanity in the state.
According to the statement, the incident has been reported to the police at the area command, Bori, and JTF in the area, who have also swung into action to forestall a repeat of the ugly incident in the community.
Meanwhile the people of the community have condemned the reports in one of the local tabloids in Port Harcourt, which claimed that the cult clash was sponsored by some politicians and individuals in the area.
The community denied that it was aware of any sponsorship of the recent cult clashes in the community.
The people in the statement described the report in the local tabloid as false and unintelligible in all intent and purposes.
They urged the general public to disregard the purported sponsorship of the cult activities as it was meant to misform unsuspecting members of the public.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu has come under fire for the worsening security situation in the state.
His posting has been linked to the current insecurity which residents of the state have had to grapple with for the past weeks.
The Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Chris Oruge stated this when he led a delegation of NLC members and activists on a solidarity visit to the Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt today.
He lamented the current insecurity in the state, saying that the people are not sure of getting protection from the police, as the state has now become a den for former militants known for criminality.
“The security of the state has gone down since the posting of the ‘almighty’ Mbu (Rivers State Police Commissioner). Mbu has become another former INEC Chairman for us and everybody now is sleeping with one eye open”.
“All the militants, the bad boys who had left this state have reconvened and have been doing what they are doing. The result of their actions is on those of us who have no security, have nobody to protect us except the Almighty God”, he said.
He however, assured Governor Amaechi that the NLC leadership and members in the state would continue to support him as he currently faces stiff opposition from his political detractors.
“We are here to make our point and to tell you (Amaechi) that labour is solidly behind you and we will continue to support your government. Since this crisis in the state, we have not heard anybody pinpointing that Amaechi’s administration has not done well in Rivers State, so we are completely at a loss what actually the problem is about”.
He commended him for building good relationship with labour unions in the state and restated their displeasure at the current turn of unfortunate events in the state.
“I equally want to bring to your (Amaechi) notice that labour is not happy with what is happening in the state presently, where hooligans had taken over the whole place, a peaceful state since you came”, Comrade Oruge said.
Responding, Governor Amaechi thanked them for the solidarity visit, saying he would continue to stand by the people of the state and ensure the judicious use of funds for their well-being.
”Let me thank you for the solidarity visit. It encourages me that at least you have the support of the people and not the support of the elites, whether the elites support you or not, it is good but what is important is the support of the people because power belongs to God actually but you are God’s agents on earth with power because it is through you that we exercise those powers. So I thank you and I assure you that I will continue to stand by you and by the Rivers people and we will continue to do the right thing. I believe that the public money is for the public and it’s for the public good”, Amaechi said.