Unidentified gunmen on Thursday shot and killed a member of a vigilante group in Omoku town, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The vigilante member, Mr. Nodi Nwachukwu Osam, according to a community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was killed while on duty.
The source said the victim was attacked and killed by the gunmen at about 1:00pm along Palace Road, Omoku town.
Osam, a 27-year-old man was until his gruesome murder, the Provost Marshall to the commander of the operating vigilante team in the area.
The source confirmed to Southern City News that the bandits opened fire at the vigilante boys who were on patrol in the area.
He disclosed that the vigilante men could not respond to the attack from the hoodlums, noting that they were not properly equipped to counter the superior firepower of the assailants.
The source said, “The vigilante men were on patrol when the cultists opened fire on them.
“They killed one of the vigilante members. His name is Nodi Nwachukwu Osam. Other members of his group escaped because the guns they had were not good enough to face the hoodlums.
“They killed him around Palace road. He was dressed in the vigilante uniform and wearing his identity card when he died.”
The vigilante commander, Mr. Adah Nwachukwu, condemning the attack and the killing of one of his men, restated his commitment in fighting crime in the area.
Nwachukwu appealed to the state government and good spirited individuals to help in providing security facilities for the group in order to face invaders.
He urged government to equip the force with patrol vans and other logistics to enable them to carry out operations without hitch.
Nwachukwu stated that over 20 of his boys had been killed by hoodlums terrorising the LGA within the period.
“The cultists have been attacking us since they know that we want to restore peace and sanity in this area. They have killed over 20 of my men. I am calling on the state government to provide us help. We want them to equip us so that we can face these boys that are terrorisng our communities,” Nwachukwu added.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Caretaker Chairman of ONELGA, Prince Isaac Umejuru, has condemned the killing of the vigilante member, describing it as an unwarranted attack.
Umejuru lamented the resurfacing security challenges in Omoku, stressing that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would never go unpunished.
At press time, the Public Relations Officer of Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said he was not aware of the incident.
Omoni, who said he had not got the report of the attack, promised to reach Southern City News when fully briefed.
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