Commissioner of police in Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, has paraded the wanted leaders of Deygbam and Iceland cult groups in the Ogoni axis of the state.
He said after weeks of intense surveillance, on November 15, 2023, in separate crack operations, men of the Anti-cultism Unit of the police command arrested Baridapdo Igia, 33, and Elvis Gordon, 26, two suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in Kereken-Boue community of Khana local government area.
Disu revealed this yesterday when he addressed newsmen at the Police Headquarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He said after series of interrogations, the duo confessed to being leaders of Iceland and Degbam cult groups in Khana LGA, respectively and have been terrorising the area for the past three years.
The police commissioner said the cult groups have been known to have endless clashes in the community.
Disu said during interrogations, the suspects also admitted to kidnapping and burying alive one Praise Daakian, a former CDC chairman in Khana council.
The police boss said they killed the victim after collecting the sum of N200,000 as part of payment for ransom from the victim’s wife.
He said the duo also confessed to killing nine other victims from 2021 to 2023 and were the main reasons for the partial evacuation of the community within this same period while investigations are still ongoing to uncover the full scale of the suspects’ operations.
Also, Disu said the command on November 16, 2023 at about 1pm, while on stop-and-search at Borikiri, Port Harcourt, intercepted one Boma Loveday, 30, male of Okirika Town in Okirika local government Area of Rivers State.
He said the suspect resisted being searched, but the officers on duty insisted as they were responding to a tip-off. Upon the search, he was found with a bag containing one AK47 Magazine loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm live ammunition and some substances suspected to be hard drugs popularly called Ice or Mpurumiri. The suspect and the exhibits are in police custody as investigation continues.
