TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Suspected cultists have set ablaze young man, as two cult groups clashed in Alakahia community, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred at 11:45 a.m on Tuesday, causing residents of the area to scamper for safety.
Our correspondent gathered that members of a cult group invaded Alakahia, one of the communities hosting University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), in search of their rivals.
According to sources, the cult gang caught the victim simply identified as Ibe, for allegedly terrorising the area.
One of the community sources, Michael Wenenda, said Ibe had used chieftaincy tussle (after the death of his father, who was the paramount ruler of the community) to unleash terror on the community and this angered members of a rival cult group to go after him.
Wenenda said the killer-cultists set him ablaze and watched him burn to death.
It was also disclosed that the cult boys, who killed Ibe, held the area hostage until a team of policemen arrived in the area following distress calls.
Another source, Emmanuel Chuku, alleged that some of the policemen, who arrived in the area to contain the situation were scared away from the community following a shooting spree by the two cult groups.
The Public Relations Officer of the State police command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident to journalists but added that he had not been fully briefed on the development.