No fewer than five gunmen, suspected to be cult members, were killed by the operatives of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday during a gun duel in the Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Maj. Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, said the cultists were killed during the an operation by the Nigerian Army to mop up arms and ammunition within the area.
The Army codenamed their operation in the local government area Operation Clean-up, saying it was aimed at retrieving all illegal arms and ammunition in the place.
The Army had, on Sunday, recovered two uniforms belonging to the late DSP Mohammed Alkali and his orderly, who were killed during an ambush in the Ujju community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA.
Abdulkarim also disclosed that five AK-47 rifles had been recovered from hoodlums in the area since the beginning of the year to date.
He stated, “The Army has recorded appreciable success in its bid to rid the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of cultists and brigands. We have recovered a total of five AK47 rifles from cultists in the area since January 1, 2017.
“The cultists and other brigands in the local government area have already been overwhelmed with our operation in the place.”
A source in Omoku said the operation by soldiers in the early hours of Wednesday followed to a tip-off to security operatives that a group of cultists were operating in Omoku and shooting indiscriminately.
It was gathered that the cultists had shot and killed two unidentified persons before soldiers stormed Omoku and engaged them in a fierce gun battle.
The PUNCH also learnt that the superior firepower of the soldiers led to the death of two of the cultists while others took to their heels.
Source: punch
