In the early hours of Thursday, December 15,2022, three suspected cultists were killed in a gunfight between gang members in the Abarikpo community, Ahoada East Local Government Area.
According to a local source, members of a specific cult group broke into the neighborhood at around two in the morning in search of their unit leader, James Bright, aka Borokiri, who was rumored to have used the group’s weapons and ammunition for personal purposes.
However, it was learned that the group’s unit commander engaged the invading faction in a gunfight, killing two of them in the process.
According to sources, until dawn, residents of the area were confined to their homes to avoid being struck by stray bullets.
SP Grace Iringe Koko, a spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command, confirmed the incident.
According to her, if the police hadn’t acted quickly, the shootings would have worsened.
SP Koko stated that after receiving the information, the police followed James Bright to his hiding place.
However, she claimed that when he spotted the Police, he fired first, and in the ensuing gunfire, he was fatally shot.
SP Koko added that since a police detachment was stationed in the area, things had returned to normal.
She continued by saying that the Command had increased patrols in the area and that an investigation had been launched in an effort to catch any other cult gang members who were running away.