From: TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
A nursery mother and a couple were among the 11 persons gunmen killed Monday morning in Obio/Akpor are of Port Harcourt.
The killers were reported to be cultists in Mgbuoshimini Community of the local government of Rivers State.
But, the State Police Command has confirmed that it was 10 persons that lost their lives in the incident, which occurred in the early hours of the day.
Among the victims of the shooting, whose names could not be ascertained at press time, were a couple, a nursing mother, women and young men.
The killing occurred 72 hours after two persons were shot dead in the same community by armed men and the arrest of a suspect by policemen.
It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the waterfront in Agip area of Port Harcourt at about 4am, and opened fire on residents within the vicinity.
Daily Sun further gathered that the hoodlums came into the community through the waterfront and attacked an area vastly occupied by the peasants.
The residents, who were displaced and had no alternative of where to relocate to, had been using tables and mosquito nets to retain their spaces and living at the mercy of criminals.
An eyewitness, who gave his name as Nasiru Usman, said the bandits that carried out the operation, attacked mainly the persons, who were affected by the recent demolition of shanties in the area.
Usman claimed that the killers were suspected cultists, who came on a reprisal attack, after the killing of two persons by a rival cult group last Thursday.
He disclosed that after the incident, at about 6:30am, there was heavy mobilization of police operatives with 20 security vans deployed in the area.
When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the incident to Daily Sun in Port Harcourt.
Omoni, however, could not confirm the perpetrators of the dastardly act, but said that the Command had swung into action to tracked down the hoodlums behind the senseless killing.
He disclosed that the Command had beefed up security in the affected place, in order to douse fear expressed by residents, for reprisal attack.