AS the crackdown on the Niger Delta militants continues, the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has arrested six suspects in connection with the killing of three chiefs of Ogbogoro in Rivers State on Thursday.
The suspects were arrested yesterday when the JTF raided three communities in the state. One of the suspected criminals was alleged to be the leader of Soboma George’s outlawed cult group.
Intelligence report had revealed that the suspected cultists who murdered the three chiefs for insisting that they renounce violence, were taking refuge at Ogbogoro, Ozuoba and Rumuekini, hence the cordon and search operation.
The JTF, which was assisted by the community’s youths later proceeded to Ozuoba village where they conducted a thorough search of some houses suspected to be hideouts of Deebam cultists. Also searched was the Sympathy Mortuary along the NTA-Uniport Road .
Following information that some of the cultists were taking refuge at Igwe Hotel, Rumuekini village along the East-West Road, the JTF, during the raid arrested three suspects among them a native doctor whose shrine shares a fence with the hotel.
JTF spokesperson, Major Sagir Musa said “the houses earmarked for cordon and search are based on intelligence report. We are to ensure that all the houses are diligently and carefully searched without molesting the house owners, their neighbours and even the villagers.”
He explained that the operation, which was led by the General Staff Officer in charge of Training and Operations 2nd Amphibious Brigade, Lt. Col, A. U Mohammed, was aimed at arresting the cultists who killed the three Ogbogoro chiefs, as well as recovering arms and ammunition from them.
Major Musa who described Ogbogoro and the two other villages searched as flash-points in Rivers State, said the JTF would not relent in its effort to rid the state of cultists and militants who have been terrorizing law-abiding citizens.
A youth leader who pleaded anonymity told The Guardian that the community leaders had apprehended eight cultists who failed to renounce violence and gangsterism on Thursday morning.
And as they were waiting to hand them over to security agents, scores of armed cultists from Ogbogoro and neighbouring villages stormed the village’s civil centre to rescue the arrested cultists. In the process, they murdered three chiefs and destroyed several houses.
Some of the chiefs led by Wolu Anele have appealed to the Rivers State Government to prevail on the JTF to remain in the village until all the suspected cultists are arrested and normalcy returns for socio-economic activities to thrive.
He said: “If not for the JTF, the cultists would have razed the entire village and this is the primary reason we want the JTF to remain here. We are scared because these cultists have continued to terrorize all law-abiding indigenes and residents of Ogbogoro.”
The JTF comprising the Army, Navy, Airforce, Police and the State Security Services (SSS) has been deployed to Ogbogoro with the aim of arresting the remaining cultists who might still be hiding there.
According to Musa, “this operation is to help us get the cultists that are responsible for the killing of the three traditional chiefs. We will remain here until we get rid of all the cultists.”