A deadly confrontation between members of the Deygbam cult group and a local vigilante outfit has reportedly claimed at least two lives in the Mile 2 Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The incident, which happened on Wednesday night along Echue Street, started when suspected cultists ambushed and fatally shot a vigilante member known as Sango while he was on his way home.

Following the attack, members of the vigilante group quickly mobilised and stormed the area, leading to an exchange of gunfire between both sides.

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A resident who witnessed the violence, identified simply as Maxwell, recounted the chaos that followed. “The bad boys that are disturbing Diobu ambushed a vigilante member and killed him while he was returning home. When other members of the vigilante heard it, they came to the scene.

“The cultists engaged them. There was serious shooting between the two groups. In the course of the shooting, a stray bullet picked a young lady. The vigilante group chased the cultists away,” he said.

The lady struck by the stray bullet was feared to have died from the gunshot wound, bringing the number of fatalities to at least two.

Reacting to the development, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident was cult-related. Police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adepoju Adewole, had directed tactical teams to move into the area to contain the situation and restore peace.

She noted that calm had returned to the community and an investigation had been launched to track down those responsible.

This latest violence comes just days after a taxi driver, identified as Barnabas, was shot dead by suspected cultists outside his residence on the same Echue Street in Mile 2 Diobu.

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