The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State Command, Olugbenga Adepoju, has condemned the brutal attack carried out by suspected cultists on Monday, June 23, in which a police officer and an Official Security Planning and Anti-Crime Control (OSPAC) operative were killed, vowing that the perpetrators will not escape justice.
Thenewsbearer learnt that in the incident, which occurred at about 8p.m., armed men, reportedly led by two men, Umegbewe Kingsley a.k.a. ‘Gutam’ and one Opaka (surname unknown), who are believed to be leaders of the Iceland cult group, stormed the OSPAC office beside the Ahoada East Council Secretariat and opened fire on its operatives.
During the assault, an OSPAC operative, Ngozi Ipah, was shot by the assailants who also gunned down a police officer, Corporal Francis Friday, who was on special duty at the Secretariat with the Special Intervention Squad (SIS).
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said in a statement on Tuesday, June 24, that on the receipt of the information, police patrol teams, led by the Divisional Police Officer, swiftly arrived at the scene, but the attackers had already fled.
She said that the two victims who were rushed to the Ahoada General Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds were pronounced dead on arrival.
Their bodies, the PPRO stated, had been deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.
She added that CP Adepoju visited the scene, deployed tactical teams to the area and directed the Area Commander and DPO to intensify efforts to track down and arrest the perpetrators.
The police boss has urged residents to remain calm and cooperative by reporting any suspicious individuals or activities to the nearest police station.
