From Tony John, Port Harcourt
At least 30 suspects (all male) have been arrested by combined security forces, when they raided some flash points and brothels along Azikiwe Street, Mile 2 Diobu, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The operation, which was carried out by Octopus Strike Force of the police, military personnel and local vigilance group, followed a reported case of cult war between suspected Junior Vikings (JVC) and Deygbam cult groups.
The suspected cultists had engaged themselves in a battle around the Ikoku flyover axis of Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt, over an issue bordering on supremacy and territorial control. A source disclosed that the rampaging hoodlums injured many passersby and robbed residents of their valuables. However, it could not be ascertained if there were any casualties as at Monday night.
Daily Sun disclosed that security personnel, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, swooped on the hideouts of the fleeing suspected cultists, including brothels and ‘cultism lane’ off Azikiwe Street. Over 20 patrol vans and three buses used in conveying the arrested suspects were sighted at the scene.
Penultimate Saturday, combined team of Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) raided brothels along Azikiwe Street, where 50 underage girls, allegedly forced into prostitution, were rescued.
State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the raid and arrest, but said there was no casualty in the hoodlums’ attack.