Cult war: 3 killed in Rivers

• Victim beheaded

Three persons were yesterday, killed in cult-related clash­es in two commu­nities of Bane and Kpaa in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the local gov­ernment, Hyacinth Nwiye, who confirmed the incidents to journalists, said two per­sons were killed in Bane, while a woman was shot dead in Kpaa community during the clashes between two rival cult groups.

According to him, one of the cultists was shot and be­headed.

“When I heard about the incident, I quickly called the divisional police officer (DPO) to find out what hap­pened. I went there myself and when I got there, I dis­covered that the corpses have been brought to the police station.

“I went with them to the mortuary, where the corpses were deposited. I later dis­covered that one of the cult­ists that participated in this nefarious act was shot dead and beheaded. His head was taken away. We went with the police to take the head­less body to the mortuary,” he said.

The chairman said the motive behind incessant cult clashes in the area could not be established.

When contacted, the state Assistant Police Public Rela­tions Officer, Grace Koko, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), told Daily Sun that the matter was under in­vestigation.