A community leader warns that heavily armed bandits have overrun forest areas in Ikwerre, Rivers State, abducting residents while authorities remain silent
The President General of the Ogbakor-Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, Godspower Onuekwa, has raised alarm over what he described as escalating attacks by suspected bandits in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Mr Onuekwa, in a media briefing on 23 April, said that armed groups have taken over forest areas in the local government, launching repeated attacks and kidnappings in several communities, including Igwuruta, Omademe and Omagwa.
He said the situation has worsened in recent weeks, with residents living in fear due to the activities of the attackers, whom he claimed are heavily armed.
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"These bandits are armed with sophisticated weapons and have made life more unbearable for our people," he said.
Mr Onuekwa noted that the affected communities host the Port Harcourt International Airport, warning that the insecurity could have dire implications.
He further said that on 8 April, the bandits kidnapped a couple, and the effort by local vigilante members to rescue the victims led to an attack from more than 200 armed men, causing the effort to fail.
According to him, the attackers also kidnapped the head of the local vigilante group, identified only as Collins, after overwhelming the group with superior firepower.
The police spokesperson in Rivers, Blessing Agabe, did not respond to call and a text message seeking her comment on the matter.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Information, Sirawoo Honour, requested that a link to the media briefing be shared with him before he would respond. Although this was done, follow-up calls were not answered.
Mr Onuekwa called on the government to urgently deploy security agencies to reclaim the affected areas and restore safety to the communities.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how gunmen killed a woman four weeks ago in Rivers and how gunmen shot a traditional ruler in the Khana Local Government Area of Rivers last month.
